The Return of a NoLife King in 2030
by Evanescently
Summary: 16th chapter up! This story is about Alucard right upon his arrival back at Hellsing. It is a continuation starting with the Manga's last scene in the tenth volume. Rated 'T' for safety.
1. Heartless Handsel

**A/N:** So a lot of people loved my mini fic called "The Give and Take of Relationships", which was based on the scene after Alucard turns Seras and has to face an irate Integra. I decided that the ending in the 10th volume left an opening as big as a football field to let writers like me interpret what happened and tell you what I think they were thinking. I always wanted to know what happened right after the Manga ended, and wondered what happened to Alucard and Seras after that scene. So I thought I'd start out with the ending scene, and depending on how well this is received, I may continue it. How, I don't know. But that's the greatness of being a writer who writes based on stream of consciousness. It's a gift and curse...writer's block is more severe, I'll tell you that!

Enjoy! Review and Respond if you like it, otherwise I'll think you don't...or not enough to tell me you _do_ like it and wish for me to continue.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

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><p>Heartless Handsel<p>

Seras strolled through the garden. Times were quiet most days, with hardly any vampires worth killing or ghouls worth wasting bullets on. Sadly, such a task had to be done, and she had to protect her master, Sir Integra. The nights were quiet, and peace had been restored; the balance returned, and days full of renewed hope. But there was the fact that Hellsing could not make up enough excuses for what had happened thirty years ago. They could not explain the entire massacre of London that reached 3,718,917 along with the destruction of the entire U.S. presidential cabinet and 64,300 other citizens. The crown claimed it was a bioterrorism incident, but that was believed for only so long. People who had survived, people who had witnessed their family members turn into ghouls were fools for only so long. The people believed the doctor's claims of it being a terrible and estranged retrovirus as long as they wished to believe it. With mass media, videos, the Internet, and cell phones, it didn't last as long as originally hoped.

The young Draculina kicked a marooned pine cone off of the immaculate pathway through the garden as she inhaled a breeze of cold night air. It calmed her nerves once more and brought her thoughts back to duty. She felt the protective wall, or 'shadow', she had around the mansion for Sir Integra's safety and felt nothing except Integra's presence, sleeping, a few maids in the laundry room, and a new butler that had been hired two years prior. Seras, a wave of nostalgia hitting her, succumbed to her thoughts once more as she remembered a certain charming, old fashioned butler she had known thirty years ago. Ah, but that was another time, and hadn't Alucard taught her to let go of the past, not to hold onto it for it would become a dangerous spiral into insanity?

Gladly, and sadly, it all made sense to her now. Seras understood, after years of living it, that people would grow old, and right in front of her red eyes, forever frozen in time. As if she had been stopped, as if she was in a bubble of youth that never would pop, she watched, quite miserably, as people aged and aged; especially Sir Integra. A knot of angst and sadness balled up inside of her stomach as she shook herself once more from her thoughts. Seras turned around and headed back up to the mansion and back to her room. So many nights she was bored and didn't know what to do that she ended up reading, going on the computer and attempting to rot her brain, and she even tried knitting once…never again…

Suddenly, she felt a breach in her lines, an intrusion of her shadow that she cast on the entire mansion. Her heart felt as if it would burst as she concentrated on the location of where she sensed it emanate from. Trotting to the door, she felt it resist, which caused her to use up all of her strength and zero in on it. Seras gasped and stopped to a dead halt. It was coming from Sir Integra's room! Within milliseconds, Seras knew that getting there on foot was out of the question; it would take far too long. The only other option was phasing. Seras focused and felt her molecules separate enough to phase as she seeped through the walls and up four flights of stairs. But just as she arrived to the door, gunshots were fired which caused Seras's dead heart to jump. The Draculina kicked the door down, splintering it into two jagged pieces as she stormed through the room with her two Harkonnens on either shoulder.

"What's going on! Master!" Seras shouted as she burst through the door.

But Sir Integra did not answer. Seras glanced at her master and noticed the discharge smoke from the barrel of her personal pistol she kept at all times. Lying on the other side of the room, steaming from silver bullets , was, by the look of it, another vampire.

_Oh, they just get more and more rude each time. Why don't they come and face me in an honorable fight? Why do they cheat like cowards and phase through my protection to kill my master without even a worthy battle!_ Seras angrily thought.

Wait…

Those boots looked too familiar…that coat looked too familiar…that raven black hair which spiked out past the shoulders looked too familiar…that soft chuckle coming from the hunched over body now slouched and sitting with its legs extended…

Seras ran to the light switch and turned it on, as if it would help her vision. She gasped as an all-too familiar vampire raised his head to rest on the wall and grinned.

"That was a rough welcome, and it was as noisy as ever," Alucard smiled.

"MASTER!" Seras screamed. She fought the urge to run over and grab him into a hug. It had been thirty years! Thirty years since she felt his mind connection to hers, thirty years since she heard any snide comment pass his lips, thirty years since she heard his voice of gold make her shiver, thirty years since those vermillion eyes had made her blush.

But Sir Integra, to whom the comment from Alucard was addressed, had sat back down on her comforter. She folded her arms indignantly across her chest and crossed her legs as she frowned at the elder vampire. Seras looked at her and couldn't help but notice the fact that she looked like a child pouting before she would admit that he was missed.

"The battle ended long ago, Alucard," Integra softly chided, "What've you been doing?"

Alucard grinned once more and sighed. He knew she would begin by scolding him. And if that's the only way she showed her affection, tough love as it was, he would willingly accept. "I've been killing my lives inside me," the vampire's eyes glazed over; he looked like he was envisioning their faces now. "Three million, four hundred twenty-four thousand, eight hundred sixty-seven. I killed them. Killed all of them but **"one"**."

Seras listened to him and felt his connection to hers once more. Like a rusty lock or an old wooden drawer that creaked. It was there, but it hadn't been used, unlocked, or opened in ages. She stood, quite dumbfounded that she was right in front of her master. She reached back into her memories, her eidetic memories as the first year of being a vampire and felt like she had seen him only a week ago...and thirty years ago But it was realities like Integra's wrinkles and new maids and a new butler that caused her to remember the years that had since passed without Alucard. She suddenly felt sad that all that time hadn't been spent with him.

"Now I'm here, now I'm nowhere, yet I can be anywhere. Therefore, _I'm here_," Alucard stated and eased up against the wall, looking Sir Integra over hungrily.

His master shook her head in a disbelieving way, "You're late…so late. It _took_ you long enough, Alucard," she chided once more, but her eyes smiled at his presence.

Alucard smiled sheepishly, "Sorry," he apologized, and Seras's eyes widened. He looked sincere in his words.

Sir Integra then let out a smile. She couldn't help it. A sudden feeling crept into her, a feeling she had not felt in thirty years. Closure. Absolute _closure_. Her entire team, save a traitor, was now returned. All of her angst had washed away as she realized that he was safe, that everyone was safe…and present. Accounted for. She could now stand at ease, and get a full night's rest without an empty space she hated to accept.

Sir Integra stood up and approached the collapsed vampire, his wounds still slightly steaming from her blessed silver bullets, "You were about to suck my blood, _weren't you_?" she asked as she put a heavy emphasis on the last two words, making it sound like a grave trespass of conduct.

"Yes, I was," Alucard's eyes brightened, "I haven't eaten in thirty years. I'm _famished_," he stated and suppressed the urge to lick his lips.

Sir Integra remembered his womanizing charisma as he constantly looked her over with unsatiated needs. That is, her young body over. She was now much older, and suddenly felt like a mother lecturing her son on about how he was late in returning home. She sighed, saddened by the thought. "I'm an old lady now, you know…" she trailed off.

"Fine by me," he stated, which surprised her. But then, he _was_ brutally honest with the only woman he had considered higher in importance, more than himself.

The Hellsing Director smiled, content with the answer. "Hm!" as she bit her finger and tore at a scare she had made by using a knife to feed another, more hesitant vampire in the room, it exposed blood that the elder vampire immediately smelled. "Welcome back count."

Integra walked forward, extending her long arm out above Alucard's head. He opened his starved mouth and let his fangs elongate. The blood trickled down her finger and to the tip, agonizingly slow for him. But it beaded at the end and finally dropped into his mouth, immediately swallowed.

"Indeed, Countess. I'm home," he grinned and became gladdened as the blood continued to be held in front of him.

Seras smiled, but it was not one of happiness; it was one that masked and veiled the underlying sadness that built within her. She had so much to tell him, so much to say that would catch him up. To a vampire who had lived for so long, thirty years was like taking a two-day vacation. But to humanity's history, it's like missing an era. She would have to tell him about what happened after his disappearance, and what happened to the secrecy of the vampire's existence.

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><p>There you have it. Hope you liked it. If you did, please go and write it.<p>

Looking forward to see what everyone thinks...

:)


	2. Ebbing Ennui

**A/N:** Wow! Thank you for all of the support! It means so much to me that people like what I did with the ending scene. I know it's just a start, and if any of you have ideas, I am MORE than willing to ask for them! I am wondering how futuristic I should make it. Obviously, I won't overdo it by making clouds on cities and flying cars like the city Coruscant in Star Wars :P Seriously, any ideas will help enrich this story for both me and you. Feel free to drop me a note

**Btw~** I do apologize about the last line Alucard says. Unfortunately, I realized that there was a typing mistake in the book. I went back and saw that Alucard did say "Indeed, Count. I'm home." It was like that throughout my entire Manga volumes, and I was very confused when he spoke like that, especially in the eighth volume when he first turns into...you know. I apologize; I should have realized it sooner. But, just to try and preserve my dignity, as a writer, I did write it to the word. It was the book's error for mistyping it, and then mine for not noticing.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

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><p>Ebbing Ennui<p>

Sir Integra plucked a tissue from a tissue box on her nightstand and wiped her finger. Though the pain was slowly throbbing, she paid no mind to it. Her contentedness far surpassed the nagging pain of a bloody finger. She stood up once more, remembering Seras and turned to the young girl.

"Seras, Alucard…needs blood. See to it that you give him blood packets. But I don't want us running up against reserves in the basement. We only have so much donated blood," she ordered and sat back onto her bed.

Alucard rose with grace and pulled out each of her blessed silver bullets one-by-one, as if to try and remember what physical pain was. "Thank you, my master," he purred and started to walk out.

Seras had to close her mouth when the elder vampire let himself out, leaving her standing there like a fool. "Wait!" she pleaded as her legs shot out from underneath her. The young lady turned a corner to see that he had paused for her to catch up.

He stood there, with little impatience as his bright vermillion orbs bore into her light blue eyes until they ached. She averted her eyes and blinked away the eye strain. The young lady ducked her head and slowly approached the alpha leader with soft footsteps, only stopping right before him. He looked down at her with probing eyes, pensive, observing…waiting. She reached lamely for her elbow with one hand and scuffed her foot awkwardly, not making eye contact.

_Argh, I'm not usually like this_, Seras thought angrily as she frowned at the ground, waiting for her derogatory, yet slightly affectionate, nickname.

_Then look at me, Police Girl_, a deep voice demanded as it entered her mind.

Seras gasped. "Oh! I…uh…H-Hello, master. Welcome back…again…" she then looked up painfully back into his scorching eyes that flickered like candles.

He raised his chin and nodded, "Yes, that's better. It's rude to avoid eye contact," he muttered impassively and then smiled, taking his time as he looked her figure over. "You look well. You've been drinking, as I've told you to do."

Seras nodded, "Well, it's kind of hard not to drink. I mean, the last time I saw you was thirty years ago! It's hard to stay a vampire if I hadn't drunk for thirty years. I would have ended up like a dried up corpse," she laughed at her joke alone.

Alucard's eyes flicked away from hers for a moment to the end of the hallway to a door. "Yes…"

"You must be thirsty," Seras opened her arm to lead the way, grateful for the breaking of eye contact as she remembered her mission: get her master blood.

The duo then paced themselves through the many doors. Seras wondered why Alucard hadn't just told her that they should phase through the walls. But one glance was all it took for her to understand, and somewhat comprehend, why. Her master took in every detail of the mansion, as if recovering from a dissociative fugue when he perused the walls, tracing the bottom edges of old and dust-encrusted paintings from more than one hundred years prior. He reached out for the walls and touched them gently, like a scholar when he first held writings in vellum or parchment. A look of longing and nostalgia could not be suppressed by him as they walked through another door, which didn't escape his servant's vision.

Alucard turned to walk down the stairs when Seras paused and held him back lightly by the coat. He turned around and she shook her head.

"We don't keep the donated blood in the basement anymore. Those are for reserves. The donated blood we store is in _this_ room," Seras motioned for the only door down a hallway.

The elder vampire raised an eyebrow but followed. Seras could feel his contained hunger rising as they approached the door. She reached into her pocket for a key card and swiped it across the front side of the door. She then pressed her thumb and index finger on the pad of the lock where a handle should have been. The door beeped that it had granted her access and unlocked itself. Alucard heard bolts, clasps, and hinges unlock as it groaned and popped slightly open. Seras swung the door wide for her master as he walked in, not having to duck.

His eyes grew wide with hunger as he licked his lips. Droves of blood filled and packed to the brim into neatly stacked shelves, for miles it seemed, tipped over the precipice of their ledges. Each basket stacked on the shelves contained ten blood packets that smelled of many donors with all types of blood. Alucard's mouth watered and his fangs lengthened and his eyes blackened with uncontrollable thirst. He could smell everything; every person who donated, every different blood type, even Seras's stagnant blood and from which blood basket she drank earlier.

The young Draculina, realizing what was happening stated in a firm tone, "Master, you must only drink some of this. I know how many are in here, so I will tell you when you must stop. Those are the rules. Do you understand?" she asked.

Alucard turned around, his eyes completely black as he smiled exposing sharp white teeth. He lunged into the rows of shelves, tearing down each and ripping apart everything in his path with no mercy to spare. Hissing, growling, snarling, the vampire chugged on everything he could drink from; every single droplet was not spared as he cleaned out row after row. The shelves creaked and groaned as he climbed on top of them to tear down the baskets that so readily contained within them the nutrients he craved.

"Well…" Seras thought, "I guess you could say that meant 'yes'," she mumbled as her master ripped through another basket.

One by one, or ten by ten, the baskets were chugged and then discarded, thrown away and over Alucard's shoulder as he grasped for another, not bothering to pause for unneeded breath. He gorged and binged until Seras knew that the time was coming to an end. If he could slow down, even just a little to enjoy it, then perhaps she could try and talk to him. But there he was, talking to himself and to the blood packets as if they were his enemies as he gutted each and poured the nourishing liquid down his throat. Seras stood up; it was enough.

"Master," she stated with a strong and determined voice. No answer.

_Master_, Seras tried again in her mind. He didn't even turn around.

"MASTER!" Seras screamed as she picked up a wooden stake with a silver tip.

Alucard slurped slowly on his latest packet and then stopped. He turned around as if trying to move underwater and looked up at her, blood covering his entire face in what looked like maroon ink. Seras shivered at his blackened eyes, still so hungry, still so weak and feeble…just as she was in the beginning with no familiars…

"What?" he murmured, "I'm eating. I don't take it well when someone disturbs my meal."

"Master-"

"How dare you!" Alucard rose to his feet in indignation and strode over to her. "You shall call me King of this land. I protect you from those damn Ottomans; do you wish to end up on a pike?" he roared and grabbed her by the collar.

"Master!" Seras gasped in confusion, "Master, your name is Alucard! Your name is Alucard and you work for Hellsing! Remember your master, Sir Integra! Remember you turned me in the church in Cheddar village!" she rushed, almost in a panic. He had never treated her this way since they had traveled to South America in 1999.

His grip tightened slowly. His eyes changed to a murderous red as his face changed into a frown. But then, he felt a certain tug in the back of his mind, a certain connection that he had. He searched for it and felt it desperately attempting to connect with him. It yanked and tugged at his mind, like a child tugging on the folds of her mother's skirt to be picked up. He suddenly recognized it; its familiar texture, its soft, velvety surface that begged to be reached. It was Seras. His servant. His fledgling. His Draculina.

"You remember me, you have to," Seras pleaded as her tears blurred her vision, obscuring the redness of his eyes that penetrated her mind.

The elder vampire's grip on her collar softened as he let her go, realizing the mistake he'd made. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer to plea, waiting for anything, and that included a snide comment back to her.

"My side effects haven't worn off yet, I suppose," he glanced away and at the mess he had created.

Seras sighed in relief, even grateful he didn't surprise her with an apology. "Oh, you're alright. Thank-" but she paused as his eyes raced back to hers with contempt, causing the girl to pause right before she said a word that would later be regretted.

Alucard turned back to the bloody mess he'd made, this time not making eye contact with his fledgling. "After Schrödinger, that damn cat, assimilated himself within me, I had to, as you know, kill every familiar inside of my body before I could tell myself apart from anyone else. That's why I was everywhere, and nowhere. Unfortunately, there were side effects even after I killed him. Sometimes, I couldn't remember who I was within me as I tried to kill the rest. I'd get flashbacks or delusions, thinking I was Count Dracula again. It was a painful process, but they stopped after the first ten years or so. However, every now and then, and I suppose it increases depending on my thirst; I forget where I am and believe I have a kingdom to rule," Alucard supressed a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Seras whispered, her tone making him pause and his facial expression change. But he continued onward.

"I guess I can stop, for now," Alucard's muttered, though it carried a note of sadness.

"Th-thank you…" Seras wasn't sure if those were the right words or not. But it seemed to fit. Unfortunately, another awkward pause enveloped the room as they stared at one another and occasionally back at the torn down shelves and toppled baskets. She giggled at the sight, finally knowing what her master looked like when he went on a binge. She regretted her action immediately as his face turned into a mixture of a scowl and a devilish smile.

"Laughing at my starvation, Police Girl?" a voice of disdain asked her as he started to encircle his prey.

"N-no. I…" Seras paused. This was not at all what she was normally like. Granted, she was friendly and sweet, kindhearted and polite. But she was never so…submissive. Perhaps the girl thirty years ago was; that young girl of nineteen, barely made into a vampire, blessed to have inherited the strongest blood of any vampire. Count Dracula's blood, where it all started, coursed through her veins, and a certain wish to get his approval shot through her. Was it anger? Perhaps, but it felt more like stubborn determination. She frowned, looking back at him.

"Yes?" he waited, bored.

"Yes. Yes, I was. I was laughing at you. I was laughing at your little episode of a binge. I was laughing at how the roles were reversed; how I am more than you this time, how I have familiars and how you don't. I was laughing at your weakness," she stated boldly, and stood her ground as he walked up to her.

His height towered over the poor girl as he growled. But it startled her that his mouth turned upward into a smile as he reached out for her. She cringed, waiting for her collar to be yanked and squeezed her eyes shut, a wave of déjà vu passing over her. There was nothing at first, and when she waited for a couple of seconds, then counting to ten, the young vampire peeked out of the corner of her eye.

"Waiting for the verdict?" he stated in a low growl as he reached out and ran the palm of his hand gently over the side of her neck.

She felt her bite marks warm somewhat at his touch. It sent a shot of pleasure down her spine as she inched forward. He noticed her bold move and didn't seem to disapprove. She stood under his powerful, predacious gaze, and wondered what exactly he had gone through in order to come back to Integra, and to her as well. He must have cared enough about them to want to come back. He must have cared about her, and maybe even thought about her.

"I missed you," Seras stated with a cracked voice.

Alucard removed his hand and grinned, "I thought I taught you better than to feel human emotions."

Seras shifted uneasily from foot to foot. Appearing weak again in her master's eyes was something that she kept running into, a recurring theme. But then her eyes sparkled with intrigue. "I remember you telling me that. I also take into account that human emotions are all that has kept me sane throughout these years."

Alucard's grin fell and emptiness replace his expression. His face morphed into new but soft contempt. Seras saw the way his eyes changed color from an orange-red to a dull mahogany. His face contorted into a disapproving frown at her words as he turned around and began to walk towards the door. Seras, without much choice, followed the elder, forgetting about the massacre he'd made with the blood baskets. The two vampires walked down a flight of stairs to the ground floor. A pair of older guards was discussing a heated topic when Alucard turned a corner. Both men snapped their heads toward him and gasped as Alucard flashed them a toothy grin when he quietly passed by. Like they had seen a ghost, Seras guessed that the two men recognized Alucard from 1999 and probably had a mild heart attack at his sudden arrival. While most everyone would probably feel weary at the elder vampire's return, his fledgling felt nothing but joy and the occasional panic as he exceedingly startled her.

They had passed the last old wooden door before reaching the basement. Darkness followed, and Seras inhaled the comforting, familiar scent. Alucard paused, inhaling as well. He looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"Oh, bed chamber, domain, lair, how I've missed thee," he murmured softly and continued forward. Both came upon a huge vault barred off and covered in locks and chains. The door had a pentagram painted in blood on it as well as anti-Christ writings written in spondee disyllables. "Ah, the chains, my wonderful chains of servitude and devotion in this Cave," Alucard whispered.

Shuffling along and trailing behind her master, the young Draculina couldn't erase Alucard's expression that was burned into her mind. Mahogany strained eyes, drooped facial epxression, turning quickly to leave the room without so much as a scoff. She tried to analyze it, swearing she noted frustration and…pain?

"Police Girl," Alucard startled her, "I'm retiring for the night. And the day after that. I haven't slept, so I won't be waking up at normal vampire standard intervals. Awake me at least once a day so that I can get a meal. That way, I won't forget to drink and go into a theatrical, blood thirsty-induced haze. Understood?" he paused and turned to her.

"But master, what about making you stronger? What about obtaining familiars again?" Seras questioned.

"Obtaining familiars comes second to letting myself rest first. I will be fine recovering in my coffin for the time being. If Integra calls for me, let me know. I fear my seals won't even be able to wake me up," he ordered.

She mutely nodded, but made eye contact this time. He nodded back, and phased into his domain.

After a pause, and when Seras was certain he had entered his coffin, she let out a small huff. "Well then. _That_ was _that_," Seras exhaled in relief. He always felt like such a chore to watch. One way or another, she would get into his mind. One way or another, she would find out what turned and clicked in that deviant mind of his. But, of course, she still had to catch him up after the years he'd missed.

She sighed, "That can wait…for now," and headed to her own room, noticing daybreak approaching.

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><p><strong>To Animefan111<strong>: Thank you. Truly, I almost forgot who Alucard was. I'm so used to liking the idea of him, but also seeing the things I would change about him. Thank you for reminding me that I really can't in this one: he would be too ooc. I wouldn't give it justice. To try and please people who want some AlucardxSeras, I put in a…scene that was flirting with the fine line between master/servant and…well more than that. Anyway, I saw what you said to me, and I remembered. I remembered Alucard. So thank you.  
>And don't worry about Seras; she may look weaker than Alucard. Possibly 'useless' or something related to it. But have no fear, over the thirty years, she has become stronger.<br>Lol one last thing: Don't think that because of your comment I've erased that scene…(cough)

**To Elalona**: I was thinking the same thing when I was deciding just how much she'd grown over the years. I wasn't sure if it was safe in making her her own Nosferatu. But then, when I read Hellsing, and other fanfics as well as just my own little opinion, I found out, and perhaps this is just fanfic or really traditionally correct, that a fledgling must drink the blood of his or her master before he or she is able to become a full Nosferatu and be independent. Now, in the second volume, Alucard tells her to drink his blood. She doesn't (crap, I hope that didn't give anything away) As a result of that, I was given some freedom as to decide whether or not she became her own NoLife Queen. She won't. She isn't. Not just yet :)

**To LovelessxWorld:** Hopefully the interaction in this chapter sufficed? Hahahaha, thank you so much for noticing that I did go straight to the point. Hopefully, you won't see any beating around the bush here; Integra is a no BS woman, though Alucard continues to spew it at her, if only to annoy and fluster :P

**To Trinnerti:** I'm glad it pulls you around and shows you all of the interesting scenes. One of the things that Hellsing does so well is nuance, and it is my profound hope to continue that. Whether or not I succeed, well, that's the journey I hope you will take with me. It lifts my spirit and my muse to hear you say that you want to read more!

**To** **Or1G1nAlFlUfF****: **I tried to have Seras and Alucard speak to each other more in this one. I hope I didn't disappoint by cutting it off a little short for my style, but to follow the manga, they didn't speak very often. I'm thinking of making that change in my version of this continuation. Tell me what you think! :D


	3. Loveless Lacerations

**A/N:** Alright, before any of you go tearing my head off, let me say that, after the Nazi manufactured vampires killed 1/2 of London's population, and then after Alucard consumed them as his familiars, do you really think that a few leaders in the British Parliament and high officials could have POSSIBLY been able to keep the vampire a secret from the world at that point? As well as the entire U.S. presidential cabinet and 64,000 or so other American citizens…I think that's why the Manga glazed over it at the end. I've argued that they could and argued that they couldn't inside my mind when trying to write this fic. And then I realized that if I truly wanted to make this as realistic as possible, there truly would have been no way to keep the vampire a secret with a bloody massacre of such magnitude. Not with the ability of the media and the Internet, along with any survivors who had seen their relatives turn into vampires or ghouls. There's just no way it could be, no matter how I turned it.

So, for those of you who believe that a handful of people would have been able to keep that secret from the world: I do apologize. From this chapter forward, humans know the existence of vampires. I've thought for a VERY long time about this; since last summer actually, and I hope that you trust me when I say that I will give it justice. There will also be science to explain. After all, what do you think humans would do when realizing that another species lives on their planet? They study the science of it :)

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

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><p>Loveless Lacerations<p>

Integra stubbed out her Cuban cigar and rocked back in her chair. The morning never suited her well. She rubbed her droopy eyes and traced her crow's feet wrinkles, remembering just how old she felt. A wandering hand reached for her tea to bring it to her lips. Integra had paused her morning calls and paper work, but knew that sooner or later she'd have to call the Council of Twelve. No doubt they would be unimpressed, to say the very least, that Alucard had returned. He was quite the handful three decades ago; and now in his return, Integra already saw the incoming arguments to seal him shut in his cell, just as Integra's father had done. The thought she considered, and promptly rejected it. Integra couldn't lock him away in a cell as Arthur had done, no matter how nefarious his behavior had demonstrated.

A man in a butler's outfit entered the room holding porridge on a fold-out tray. He greeted Integra with a warm smile, placing the contents on her desk.

"Good morning, Sir Integra. How did you sleep?" he asked.

"I slept well. How is Alucard?" she asked.

"I just spoke with Seras on her way to her room. She said that he had drunk his fill and had gone to bed," the butler replied as he helped her clear off her desk of intruding papers.

"Ah, good," but then Integra's facial expression changed from one of content to suspicion, "And who else knows of this little secret, Albert?"

He paused, "Oh. Well, no one but the guards in this mansion, perhaps the maids…and then myself know about Alucard's return," Albert responded. He then gave her a sideways look, "If you wish, I can talk with each of them to keep this hushed…"

"Of course, that would be much appreciated," Integra picked up her spoon and looked at it. "Albert?"

"Yes, my lady?" he looked into those sharp blue eyes that never dulled over the years…still so keen.

"I do not want this to bleed into society or the media. Lord knows they already had a field day upon hearing that vampires did exist. If word got out that Alucard returned…London would fall to chaos, I fear," Integra lit another Cuban cigar and lit it.

"Indeed," Albert nodded slowly and gazed out of the window.

He remembered all too well the empty streets of London throughout his childhood. Streets that were deserted, buildings that were forgotten, shops that fell apart with age and neglect, all without human presence to take care of them. He remembered fear among people, fear of something they couldn't see. Like a bacteria that would infect the host and turn the human into a monster, this fear fed the public angst, along with the fact that no one could tell who was a vampire and who wasn't. For the longest time, to suppress anarchy and chaos, the Queen of England imposed martial law over her people; for their sake, for their well-being, for their sanity…or what was left of it. The asylums were inundated by the end of the first year in what was later called "The Recovery Period". Sadly, 'recovery' couldn't even begin to depict what people went through to try and recover, many not surviving, and many not wanting to survive.

"Well, you are dismissed, Albert. I have much to attend to," Integra snapped him back to reality.

He bowed graciously and exited the room without a word. Integra inhaled a whiff of her cigar and let the warmth settle in her lungs before turning to her papers. She rummaged around in a drawer to find a directory with all of the Council's names and phone numbers. Punching in the first number, she waited for the other line to pick up.

"Sir Penwood, this is Sir Integra. We must gather the official Convention of Twelve. This calls for an emergency of sorts," Integra spoke quietly into the phone.

"What? What is it Integra?" Sir Penwood nervously asked.

Integra sighed; he was just like his grandfather, "Well, you see…a certain vampire has…returned…"

"A…certain…vampire…" Sir Penwood reiterated, "Umm, I see. Well, I'll call everyone else who is needed. Where would you like to convene the meeting?"

"At Hellsing, preferably. Everyone will not believe me, so I was thinking that they made need a visual appearance of-" she stopped.

"Sir, who is it we are talking about? You know as well as I that these lines are not tapped," Sir Penwood reassured her.

"A man you've never met before…a man you've only heard of. Just call the others, you shall see," Integra hung up abruptly. She knew that Hellsing's phone lines were not tapped into or Penwood's, but she couldn't shake the feeling of paranoia that constantly nagged at her mind.

She sat back once more in her high chair and decided to eat her porridge. The relatively cold liquid felt sweet against her ash tasting mouth. The woman made a face, but swallowed the sustenance down. She let her mind wander as the tea ran out and the sun poked out from the clouds. She still had to inform the King and Queen…a King and Queen who'd grown up ignorant of the maliciousness of the vampire, the evil it had, the deceit, the manipulation it could create, the death it would spread. It was all too true. Yes, any vampire could accomplish death, destruction, strike fear in hearts, go on genocides, and manipulate people to bend to their will. But Integra could easily say the same thing about humans. History, and a certain Major, had taught her that humans could accomplish the very thing that they now try to kill.

A phone rang, and Integra sighed. Her respites were never long enough. She picked it up and paused, waiting for a voice to speak.

"Is this Sir Integra, Hellsing Director?" a deep voice asked.

"Yes, Sir Hayworth. This is she," Integra answered, recognizing the old man.

"It has come to my attention that you have called the Convention. What has happened? We haven't been called forth in a while," Sir Hayworth's voice sounded a shade anxious.

Integra remembered how his family had been murdered in the killings of London. The entire massacre was called Report #17. She decided to speak her words carefully, knowing she could trust him to keep his mouth shut. She felt a duty to tell him the truth, after what he'd been through and how much psychiatry he had to undergo.

"Sir Hayworth. I'll be frank. A certain vampire has returned to London," she started off.

"A certain vampire," he reiterated, just as Penwood had done, "What are you saying, Integra? The only vampire who didn't report for service the next day was…" his voice trailed off, Sir Integra imagined, in shock.

"Was Alucard," she finished, biting her lip, wishing he hadn't called.

"You mean to say that, after thirty years, Alucard has come BACK?" his voice rose.

"Sir Hayworth, I implore you to hold your tongue. The Convention will find out soon enough. For now, please gather the others to meet me today," Integra ordered. She wiped a handkerchief over her face.

There was a pause when she thought he had hung up. But hearing a cough on the other end reassured her.

"Of course…I will be there," he promised, his voice now controlled, and hung up.

* * *

><p>Seras woke up in her coffin with a start as the annoying alarm buzzed within her grave; it was attached to the main control systems of the front gate and the back gate. If the guards were ever in trouble, they would be able to contact her by pressing a button on their radios which would then relay back to her coffin, waking her up. She rubbed her temples. Who could possibly be trying to infiltrate the Hellsing manor at this ungodly hour? Seras checked her watch. 3:00PM.<p>

She rose and quickly dressed for action. Grabbing her Harkonnen rifle, she stuffed her pockets with extra ammunition and raced outside. The sun was poking out through the clouds and rays of light sprinkled the ground. Seras tried to dodge each one, cursing the fact that it was day. She lifted the Harkonnen rifle over her shoulder and sprinted to the main gate where there were crowded beings. A wave of déjà vu hit her as she remembered the Valentine brothers and their mini army of ghouls. But as her feet barely touched the grass when she ran, the crowd got closer and closer. Seras then realized, and sensed, that this was no crowd of ghouls or a crowd of vampires; it was a crowd of humans.

Seras ran up to the first guard and paused, not a bit out of breath, "Soldier, what is your report?"

One guard yelled over the protesters, "People had started to gather around the gates at 2:50PM, sir. We have tried to contain them, but their numbers continue to grow."

"What exactly are they protesting against?" Seras asked.

Another guard dodged a block of wood, "Us!" he shouted and ran back to the crowd.

Seras watched the humans gather around the gate, kicking it and screaming at Hellsing. She knew exactly why: they were protesting the existence of Hellsing. They were protesting against the existence of vampires. They were protesting against the fact that Hellsing was immune to prosecution when it came to dealing with freaks.

"HEY YOU!" one protester shouted and threw a brick at her.

Seras stood her ground and let it strike across her face. The crowd gasped as they saw it crack her head. She stepped forward and to the gate, just beyond the reach of the people.

"Violence is not recommended if you wish to get your point across," Seras growled, letting them watch her head heal itself.

The crowd roared back their angry comments, each overlapping the next. They spat at her, raked for her with their hands, and tried to hit her once more.

"Easy for you to say, you have practically full immunity to anything that you do!"

"Yeah, do you even consider collateral damage? One of your Hellsing SAS teams cornered a vampire the other day in the market and shot it down. In the process, they killed three people. Well guess what, my brother was one of them!"

"Why do you do this to us? They were never a problem before, but know you've angered them into killing us more!"

"Why don't you just go to Hell?"

Seras grabbed that human by the throat and yanked him half through the bars with his torso sticking out on her side his lower body dangling in a sideways position.

"Oh, I know I'm going to Hell. Do you even believe that I don't think, for even a day, what I do might be wrong? Do you think that a day goes by where I don't realize what I'm doing, that I'm just some monster who goes on killing for the fun of it? No," Seras growled to the man now shaking with fear in her grasp. "That's the difference between the vampire you see here, and the vampires we hunt. They kill you for the fun of it, the kill you because they also need to survive, and most of all, they kill you because you taste good."

The young man shivered as she tightened her grasp, "You're the embodiment of our hate. Whether or not you're aware of what you do, the rules that protect you, the people that protect you like the King and Queen, are unstoppable."

Seras grinned, "That's right. We are unstoppable because we aim to kill every last vampire. It's all for you. It's all for the reason that humanity must survive."

The man stopped squirming and paused. He smiled at her, going almost as far as thanking her.

But suddenly someone from the side took out something silver. Seras immediately saw it and threw the man back into the crowd for his safety.

"TAKE THAT, you bitch!" a woman screamed as she jammed the blade into Seras's stomach, causing her to topple over and fall to her knees. The crowd backed up, some gasping at the violent turn this protest made, some whispering victory as they saw her crumpled body shake.

Seras looked down at her stomach and gritted her teeth at the pain. A nauseous wave rolled over her as the silver pierced the insides of her stomach and made her vomit blood. She knew what it was like to feel conflicted, just as the people were.

As a former police officer, she felt some days very sickened by what was demanded of her. Protecting the public and their health was her number one priority, but that black and white line had changed drastically when she joined Hellsing. It was now deemed shades of gray as ethical lines blurred and morals smeared in between ends justifying means. Conflict was within her each day she reported for duty, wondering how many lives would be at stake and how many would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was the world of vampires and humans killing vampires. Some innocent people would just get hurt, and there was no getting around it. But most of all, she understood the frustration of the crowd because she knew what it was like to have her home turned into a battle zone. That's what Britain was now: a battle zone. A war. Between vampires and humans.

_Now zis is no way to treat a lady_, a disgusted French voice echoed within her.

_Pip_, Seras whispered, _I know exactly how these people feel; and all I can do is nothing._

_Well, someone'z got to do zis dirty work. You are trying to do what no one elze wants to do. No one but 'Ellsing has ze guts do wipe vampires out. And like I said, someone'z got to do it_, he argued.

Seras smiled; he always knew what to say.

_Good zen. Now zat you're feeling better, get up and scare zem off. Whether or not zey know ze existence of vampires, they're still ignorant and limited as to what zey know about what we sacrifice from zem. Zeir troubled and conflicted minds do not concern 'Ellsing az of right now. We have more important zings to attend to_, the captain pushed her mind.

Seras felt a surge of energy course through her as she reached for the silver blade and slowly pulled it out. The young woman cringed and tears welded up in her eyes. The crowd watched in horrid fascination as her wounds healed and she examined the silver blade. It was long and pointed, but in a sort of triangle form with a handle. Like an addition on a World War I rifle, it reminded her of a…

_Wait…_

Seras gripped the blade with more severity and looked at the handle. SXIII was engraved in it. Section XIII. A Bayonet!

Seras snapped her head up and searched the crowd for the woman who'd stabbed her. The young Draculina's eyes scanned, but she had not gotten a good enough look at the woman; and she didn't get a good enough smell to trace her scent. Seras eventually gave up and looked back down at the bayonet. A crazy Regenerating Priest popped into her mind as she remembered a worthy foe of three decades ago. She smiled, realizing what this meant as she balanced the blade in her two hands. It was a message: 'We're still here and we've not forgotten'. The young vampire stood up, ignoring the profanities that were addressed to her and sheathed it in her belt. Bring it.

Seras aimed her Harkonnen rifle in the air and loaded it up, the crowd focusing their rage at the gate guards. She whistled and pulled the trigger allowing an ear-splitting sound eject from the gun. She fired twice into the air, causing the crowd to scream in fright and panic as they ran off with their protesting signs. As they scattered, she couldn't suppress a smile. Pip was right: what she had to do and live with everyday was nothing that those humans could comprehend. They wouldn't be able to handle what she had to do, and _someone_ had to do it.

_To Integra, zen_, Pip lit a smoke, _we must let her know of zis pestering crowd and of ze message that Section XIII has given us._

* * *

><p>~I am sorry for sounding strong-minded and possibly rude in the author's note, but I've had to argue my personal opinion many times to different people, and it's a little touchy. I just wish you will have faith in my explanations and hopefully you will enjoy the science of it. I will be explaining the physiology of vampires and why they can do what they do. Thank goodness for my brother!<p>

**To Animefan111**: I'm very glad you like how I've made Seras a bit more confident in the second chapter. She's still that nineteen year old sweety and big-hearted, caring girl we know; but she's got a few more years of experience under her belt! :) And about that comment: it wan't harmful at ALL. Have no fear, I'm saving it for the right moment.

**To Angel Reaper**: Thank you for noticing how I do try and update for my readers. They mean the world to my confidence! hahaha Yes, I loved the feeding scene as well. I wanted to show the readers just how hungry he was, but I didn't want to over-do it. And yes, there will be more times where Alucard will probably slip into Count Dracula. He is at his weakest right now...what with no familiars and an entire convention that wished he never returned. But we shall see. Hehe.

**To Chrysalis1986**: The first part with Integra was specifically made for you. After I read your comment, I realized that I couldn't forget about Integra! Hahahaha. I decided to make a whole scene dedicated to her in this chapter. And you will be seeing more of her new butler, Albert as well :) Hopefully you liked it. And I'm so happy that you enjoy the way I write. Vocab does not a reader make. It's all about the presentation. So glad you like it!

**To Marionette Queen**: You! Hahaha. You know this is ALL because of you. I should dedicate this entire thing to you. Because of your kind words of encouragement, because of your faith in me, because of the fact that you never gave up on any of your own stories, no matter how strewn out they seemed or daunting, because you continued to comment on my work, this story came to be. Without you, this never would have happened.

**To Vyliss:** Oh my gosh! Where do *I* begin! I can tell you, that's some of the best encouragement I've ever gotten since joining this site! I knew this was going to be challenging and exceedingly daunting to me. But what I also knew was the fact that if I got enough encouragement from my readers, if they liked it as much as I, then I knew I could pull this off. You have helped in making this possible. And I know you've commented on my other work 'The Give and Take of Relationships'. I can't thank you enough. Just as your knees grow weak when you see a wonderfully executed plot, my knees grow weak at a wonderfully worded response. They fuel this story, after all. And fear not, I will not give up on AlucardxSeras :)


	4. Lethal Locutions

**A/N:** Thank you to all who have not given up on me. So sorry for not updating sooner, but AP tests are coming up and I have to focus on that…Anyway, on to the story.

Oh, one more thing. I should say this: maroongrad did hint to me that I needed to have Integra call the Council back in session, so thank you maroongrad!  
>And I hope you can understand Heinkel (heads up, she sounds like she did after getting shot by the Captain with his leg-long kruger O.o)<p>

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>Lethal Locutions<p>

"She has arrived!" one of the agents exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

A group of young men accompanied by a few women rushed forward and to the outside of a gated and protected church. They seemed exuberant at the woman's arrival, each craning their neck to see the evidence that Section XIII had gained something, possible their dignity back after so many years. The younger woman was walking up the ivy-painted road with a knapsack slung over her shoulder. She nonchalantly strolled up with a grin on her face, a trademark these days among youngsters new to the sport of killing heathens.

Heinkel, who was still sitting comfortably on a bench in the lovely side yard, casually bit down on the casing of a bullet while she polished her special 10mm anti-heathen pistol. She made no attempt to congratulate the young woman now inside the gates. Swarms of agents crowded her, complimenting her and praising her for the amazing task she had done. And she had come back to Ireland in one piece, despite confronting a vampire in England. After several minutes of basking in her praise, the young woman was able to break free of the crowd and walk over to her superior, Heinkel.

"Hupid hid," Heinkel muttered, "Hhe're all hust hyoungsters hese hays."

The girl strolled to a stop, tossing her hair lightly aside, though it was an act of defiance. She had bright red hair and electric green eyes, something she took after her grand uncle. A side of her even reminded Heinkel of Father Anderson; that insane grin and that maniacal laughter. But she was still so young, and had to learn much on the subject of killing the damned. Heinkel waited for her to speak, though not seeming too interested as she continued to clean her gun.

"Ahm back an repoortin far duty," she stated in a light voice.

"I hee hthat, Meredith," Heinkel said without looking up at her, this time putting the pieces back together.

"Soo, what dya think? Did Ah do well?" Meredith's eyes sparkled.

Heinkel paused for a moment, still refusing to look up, but then continued piecing her gun back and gather bullets up to load it. There was no dignified response that Heinkel would or even could give to that question. Meredith didn't even deserve any kind of answer to that. But the pause grew weary and thin on the youngster's nerves as she shifted from foot to foot. Heinkel looked up and sighed, knowing she wouldn't leave without an answer.

"No, hyou hidn't do hwell. Hwhat hould hossibly hake hyou hthink hyou hid hwell?" Heinkel frowned disapprovingly.

"But Ah was able tae strike tha' Hellsin girl. Ah struck her wi' a bayonet an' she fell tae the floor. Oor enemy, and Ah was able tae make her fall!" Meredith built her case with wild enthusiasm.

Her superior's facial expression hadn't changed. "Hand htell me: hid you hill her? Hid you hstay hand hee hif hyou had hilled her? Hid hyou heven hstay haround hto fight her? No, hyou hust habbed her honce, and hthen hyou hled hthe hcene like a howard!"

Meredith's eyes dropped and her face changed to hurt with every advancing word. It was true: she had only stabbed that Hellsing girl at the gates. She had turned and fled, not checking to see the damage. And it was cowardly of her to not stand and fight after provoking the Hellsing vampire.

"Hupid hids like hyou hare hinexperienced hen hit homes hto hetting hcross hith hthe Demons hand Heathens," Heinkel resumed taking apart her gun once more.

Meredith looked down at the ground, her foot trailing the outlines of the cracks in the pavement. "Ah'm sorry. Ah failed ye. But next tayme, Ah'll kill all o' them," she promised and walked back to the church, no one accompanying her.

After a moment, Heinkel looked up and smiled. She knew Meredith would never give up until every single vampire on the earth was dead, by her hand or not. Their sole purpose in life, their mission from God, was to exterminate the infection of the vampire, to purge and cleanse humanity. Heinkel knew that if anyone could do it, it would be Meredith. But a slight pang of possession filled within Heinkel as she saw where Chief Makube* had assigned Meredith.

"Heras his hine hto hill, not hers. I hil hill Heras Hictoria, hnot her," Heinkel muttered to herself as she rose from the bench. "Hall he have hto hdo his hawait Chief's horders. Hthen, hits hilling htime," she smiled and walked back to the church, admiring the cloudless day and the summer breeze.

* * *

><p>"Yes, we know that he needs to become stronger once more," Integra practically groaned. The meeting argued back and forth between council members who wished Alucard back and council members who wished him to head back to Hell. She had tried to make it productive, forever reining them back in like a carriage of horses trying to gallop off. If Sir Integra could not get their support, she feared that the king and queen would not side with her either.<p>

"Do you have any idea of what this means? Count Dracula is back. Who knows what happened to him in the past thirty years. Has he changed? Have his ideals changed? Is he the same vampire we once knew? Does he still equate the fact that he is powerful but also your servant?" Sir Hayworth asked.

Integra took in one deep breath. "Yes, Sir Hayworth, to everything you just said. Not only is Alucard back and willing to help us in killing the rest of vampires throughout Britain, he is much weaker than you believe."

Sir Penwood shifted uncomfortably in his seat, grabbing it his collar, "What do you mean, Sir?"

Integra grinned, "You gentlemen _do_ remember what happened to him, right?"

"Of course we remember," Sir Norrington scoffed, "Some of us were trying to evacuate the Queen."

"Well," Integra lit up her cigar and drew in a long and much-needed whiff, "Upon our vampire's return, Alucard informed me that he had to kill each and every one of his familiars. That way, he could tell himself apart from the others. Now, he has no reserves, no back-ups, no familiars. He is a normal vampire with just some basic skills with a gun."

"What?" the group asked in unison.

Integra grinned again, "In simpler words, no familiars: no outstanding powers. You see, gentlemen, in order for the Cromwell Effect to release, there needs to be enough familiars to sustain his energy for the transformation. It takes endurance to maintain his shapes and forms; just being a normal vampire is not enough force to sustain and maintain all of his powers for long. Think of his familiars as personal generators: without them, he cannot draw forth the energy that is needed in order to release the Art Restriction Levels."

The members whispered in hush tones to one another and to themselves. Uncertainty befell the room. To make matters more uncomfortable, each member still did not look satisfied, even after talking for four hours. Integra rubbed at her temples, knowing exactly what would come out of their mouths.

Integra continued, "Furthermore, Alucard acquired some powers while murdering Schrödinger. He stated to me that he is able to be everywhere and nowhere. Now, this means that he was able to obtain Schrödinger's powers and harness them to fit his own needs."

"Sir, it's not that we don't trust you, we just don't trust your servant. Isn't Seras enough?" Sir Hayworth asked, ignoring her previous statement.

"No, you don't trust my _judgment_. You think that because I've become old I've lost my touch, lost my keen sense of ethics and morals. You think that because I have aged, my lines of what is right and my personal gain have blurred together," Integra spat.

"Now, Integra-" Sir Penwood started.

"And what's more? The fact that killings have risen despite what Hellsing has done over the years. The people are becoming angrier, and there are whispers that there will be a strike," Integra stubbed out her cigar angrily.

"A strike?" Sir Norrington raised an eyebrow.

A knock startled the group. Albert, who was sitting quietly at the edge of the table next to Integra rose and shuffled to the door. He opened the door and a pause entered the room when the members looked over their shoulders. Integra tried not to laugh at the amusing action of paranoia. A dainty hand shook the butler's as a tall figure stepped into the room with wide eyes of concern and a blade of sorts in her hand.

"Sir Integra, I was going to wait until after your meeting…" Seras began.

"It's quite alright," Integra reassured her, thankful for the interruption, "What is your report?"

Seras gulped down, her head facing the ground, completely aware of the heads now turned to her. She knew she would be blushing at all the attention, had she been alive.

"W-well, there was a protest outside the Hellsing gates at approximately 3:00PM this afternoon. I was called into duty in case anything got out of hand. One of the protesters…well I got too close to the gate and when I wasn't looking, a woman grabbed me by the shirt and stabbed me with something silver," Seras paused.

It was immediately filled with questions, to which Integra held up a hand. The room quieted down again, letting Seras's eyes fall on Integra's. Seras, locking eyes with her master of thirty years, became calm once more and continued the story.

"I pulled it out…and…well…" Seras took it off from her belt and placed it on the table, ready for examination.

Sir Integra and Albert peered over the wood and at the object. Albert picked it up lightly, balancing the blade on one hand and the handle in the other. He flipped it over agilely and pointed to the hilt. Scripture was engraved all throughout the silver blade in twisting and elegant writing along with prayers not foreign to Integra. She shuddered openly at the writing that was so clearly exposed, so proudly exposed, to her.

"Section XIII," she whispered and took the bayonet from her butler, "This is a Section XIII bayonet…"

"WHAT?" Sir Hayworth exclaimed.

"You mean to say that Section XIII is back? We haven't even seen them for at least ten years now. And their killings have been sporadic to say the very least. Few in number since their last crusade fiasco," Sir Norrington sputtered with anger.

"The only person who carried bayonets on his person was Father Anderson himself," Sir Penwood raised his voice along with the others.

"Yes, yes that _was_ Father Anderson wasn't it?" Sir Hayworth's eyes narrowed at the memories of him, "My word, I haven't heard that name in _ages_."

But more members started to panic. The younger men in the room who were not alive or present at the time shifted uneasily in their seats as the older men discussed their memories of the psychotic regenerator priest. With each sentence, more voices overlapped and the room started to vibrate. Albert, attempting to keep his master in the best mood possible, looked at Integra and exchanged a hopeful smile. She did not return it but instead shook her head in disgust at their evident panicking. It soon was rightly justified as she suddenly felt the presence of another in the room. A dark presence.

Gasps echoed the room as laughter emanated from the walls; laughter that had a stinging familiarity to it. Each member gulped and looked around in paranoia, hoping that what each had heard was just an auditory hallucination. But the laughter rang in the room again, causing their table glasses to shake as a dark figure materialized next to the door.

"Everyone is here; how splendiferous," Alucard purred, rubbing his hands together.

"Alucard," Integra opened a hand to the members before her as a gesture of mocking good-will, "I present to you, the new and improved Convention of Twelve."

"Mmm, and so they think my existence naught. Shall I prove to them how valuable I can be?" he turned to her.

"It will not come to that," Integra stated as frightened eyes met her calm, intellectualizing ones.

"Very well, my master," Alucard whispered, his tone disappointed.

"Gentlemen, this meeting is, should we say, adjourned?" Integra stood up. The entire room rose anxiously with her but stood their ground.

"But Sir, what about our discussion?" Sir Penwood objected, looking around the room for support. Unfortunately, all eyes were on a monster who'd returned.

"Sir Penwood, it has come to my attention that protests have started outside of my gate, which has not happened for some time now. Also, Section XIII has made a statement saying that they are not lost to the wind and are, in fact, preparing. Now, would you say that accepting Alucard back into Hellsing is understandable and practical, or am I going to have to tell the king and queen why our best vampire-midian expert is sitting idle while more innocent people die when they could be saved?" Integra asked, completely knowing she had won the argument the moment his words slipped out.

"Oh..w-well of course. My mistake," Sir Penwood lowered his head and proceeded out of the room.

The others followed, some unable to not stare at Alucard, some refusing to look at the monster. They were so close, so close to ridding the earth of him forever; but now he had to come back to watch the world burn once more, laughing every step of the way, understanding the outcome. Some of the members were grateful and weary of his return, hoping that, now that their trump card was back in place, they would finally be able to curb and stop the rest of the vampire killings. Grateful or ungrateful, every council member knew and understood that for five years after Alucard disappeared no vampires ventured into Britain. It was the most peaceful, albeit silent, years of her history. Each man stepped out of the room, fitting their overcoats and tipping their hats, however grudgingly, to Integra as they left. One by one, until the room was completely silent. The Hellsing Director let out a sigh and plopped back down in her chair.

Alucard chuckled, "Throwing down the gauntlet and running away like the cowards they are. Section XIII hasn't changed one bit, since I left."

"Any provocation against Hellsing will be met with instant punishment," Integra murmured so softly, only her servants hearing. They all grinned in response.

"My, my. And you haven't changed either, Integra Hellsing," the elder vampire looked her slim figure over with hungry eyes, "And still a maiden, I smell."

"OH SHUT IT YOU BLOODY FOOL!" She threw the blade at him, just missing as he phased to another part of the room. "Thank God I got a break from you for thirty years, or I would have died by now."

"Yesss," Alucard grinned, considering the thought, "But not as a _virgin_."

This response made Integra's vein in her neck pop out as she roared in anger and stood up with her pistol in her hand.

"_Say. That. One. More. Time_," she threatened, her posture unflinching, "If my calculations are correct, I aim at your heart, and you turn into dust."

Alucard phased right at the tip of the gun, gently pressing his chest to it. Integra lifted her eyes, if only to see his expression. His eyes were…begging her. They were begging her to pull the trigger; begging her to send him away; pleading for his rightly-deserved damnation for eternity in the depth of Hell; pleading to feel something again, after being numb for five hundred years.

"My master," he breathed, inhaling her delicious scent, completely at her mercy.

Integra's eyes widened as a slight pang of fear crept in. She never would. He called her bluff. There was no way she could ever kill her servant, not after so many years without him. He abandoned her; and she was ever begrudging of it. She never wished for him to leave, never again. _Never again_.

"No," Integra whispered, her voice almost breaking, "Not after what you put me through. I would never do that. You're too valuable as it is, now more than ever. For Britain; she calls you forth in her hour of need again, Alucard. What will you do?" she challenged.

Alucard grinned, gently pushing aside the gun from his heart, "Am I a human, or am I a dog, my master?"

Integra returned the grin, "Aye. I'm glad to see you back."

Seras suppressed a giggle as she looked at Albert. He returned the smile, also suppressing laughter. She never quite understood the relationship her master and Sir Integra had, but they had survived so many years together. Integra had grown up with him at her side; he was, and will always be, a part of the Hellsing family. Above all, Seras especially missed her master's dark humor. Even if it was a bit too much at times, she was ever thankful for the fact that he was strong for her…for everyone.

Albert cleared his throat and Integra looked up half-startled, as if the butler had caught two lovers in the act of foreplay. She almost blushed and quickly put her pistol away, glaring at Alucard's smirk. He got her. He'd won this time.

"My lady," Albert said soothingly, "May I show Alucard and Seras the new models I've made for them?"

Integra's eyes brightened, "You've made the adjustments already?"

"Of course, sir. They are ready for inspection. And the suits are on their way, almost ready for testing for our SAS soldiers. A hydraulic system that I personally installed should do the trick for them," Albert's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yes, you can show Alucard and Seras right now, if you so desire. I, unfortunately, must retire to my chamber. This day has left me quite disheveled," Integra rose and waved a goodnight to her servants as she walked out of the room.

"She's in a hurry to leave," Alucard muttered.

"Have you seen the way she's been sleeping lately?" Albert inquired.

Alucard turned from him to his servant with a disgusted look. Albert took offense to the action but only showed it by straightening his matching cravat and exhaling sharply. Seras cleared her throat, realizing that the remark was directed for her to answer.

"Umm, Sir Integra has been sleeping very well since you-" Seras paused as she saw a grin appear on his face, "Since everything went back to normal," she changed her ending, not wishing to give him the power of using it over Integra's head in the future.

Alucard still remained, grinning at Seras; but it changed from a grin of power to a soft smile, still predacious, of course. Seras raised an eyebrow and returned the smile, though hers was genuine. A warm feeling crept inside of her again at seeing him so happy, at noticing herself so happy. Never had she felt so…so safe in the mansion. Before Alucard arrived, and for thirty years, she was the top vampire, Hellsing's trump card. She had to make sure that everything was in order, that everything was running smoothly, that everything was completely and utterly under control with no threats targeting Hellsing. Every day she had to do this, and it soon became a dull routine filled with hours of worry and looking over her shoulder. Eventually, Seras got used to it; but when her master suddenly showed up, she was glad to step aside and become number two. The young woman wasn't entirely sure why, but she knew it felt right to be his servant again, even if she was old enough to become her own Nosferatu. The young Draculina felt as though there was still so much to learn, still so much knowledge that she needed to soak up.

"Yes, well," Albert interrupted, "If you would follow me, I will show you your new weapons," he opened an arm for Seras, which she politely accepted. The butler then proceeded out of the room with his head held high, stealing Seras, and not caring if he thought he heard Alucard softly growl.

* * *

><p>~There's the next chapter for you! But I must warn my readers that AP testing is coming up and I will be updated less often. I will try to update at least once a week, but I'm afraid that I won't be updating once every two days as I have been. Hopefully, you can adjust to my new schedule; it shouldn't last for very long~<p>

**To Vyliss:** You know what? You're right. I'm done trying to cater to people who won't like what I write. If it's not their style, if it's not to their liking, then fine! So be it! I've got everything I need. And I am doing a great job. You're right. This is a damn good story, and if people can't handle the fact that humans know the existence of vampires, then they can just stop reading. I…I've just had to explain myself constantly, and because I'm literally continuing the story right from where it ended, I feel like I have to explain a lot more than if it were an OC or something. You know? Just to be fair to the reader and to my own process of thinking. To be faithful to my readers more than anything. And I WILL give it justice. Time and patience with this is all I ask. And thank goodness for readers like you who have unflinching doubt in me. Really, I had quite the dramatic day today, and your words brought me to tears of joy that at least something went right. If there's anything that I always lack, it's confidence in my writing. Too many past memories of people not liking it. It's a huge scar on my psyche (or whatever you wish to call it) and I've decided to use this site to mend it, and cauterize the infection. I am a good writer, thank you for reminding me of that.  
>And I'm shocked that you would go so far as to put them right next to the rest of Hellsing's chapters! Hahahahaha! Really, that good? NAW! Can't be! :)<p>

**To Animefan111**: I'm so thankful that someone noticed that I'd brought Pip into the story. It seemed to fit in PERFECTLY. It just came to me :D And yes, I love playing with the notion that Seras has grown into a much more confident and secure young woman, comfortable in her flawless vampire skin. I'm soooo glad I made your day! That's quite the accomplishment, I'd say! Hopefully this next chapter was just as good!


	5. Steadfast Sinew

**A/N:** YAY for updates! I'm so glad I can finally show this one to all of you. This is Albert's time in the limelight. He's the brains behind everything that Hellsing has, in terms of weapons and armor. I love him. Nerds are amazing…especially cute ones. Always be nice to them, you'll be working for them someday :) And thank goodness for Irish Celtic music; it got me through this!

~Oh, one more thing: since you guys have been waiting so long, it must seem, for this update, I've made it longer than my usual five-page chapters. Just for you!~

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>Steadfast Sinew<p>

Albert led his lovely young woman down the endless Hellsing staircases until they finally arrived at the armory. Excitement sparkled in his eyes as he opened the door for Seras, if only to be chivalrous. She smiled, causing him to shiver slightly with anticipation as she slipped into the dark room. He entered and flipped the light switch on hastily.

Unfortunately, another vampire, dressed in red, was already impatiently waiting for the pair to arrive. He grunted a low guttural sound that seemed a mixture of contempt and disgust. Albert's hopes of impressing Seras drained right from his face as it became pale with surprise.

"Oh, you're already here. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Albert apologized, attempting to break the tension.

Alucard shifted in the old leather chair he was sitting in and lifted both of his long legs onto the middle table, extending them as if from exhaustion. He placed his boots atop the table that was adorned in different magazines, shell casings, barrels, grips, slides, and broken hammers. Albert winced noticeably as he heard the boots thump down. The vampire then grinned.

"Surely you didn't think that I, of all people, had forgotten where the _armory_ is," Alucard sarcastically hoped, pressing the palm of his right hand over his chest, mocking shock.

Albert frowned and inhaled slowly, "Of course not. It was my mistake, completely."

Alucard waved a hand impassively, "There's no need for a mea culpa. Don't waste your breath on me, _boy_."

"Ok, so! What were you going to show me, Albert?" Seras interrupted quickly as Albert's face became red with anger at the derogatory name.

The butler's face turned to hers just as quickly, showing saddened relief that she had finally come between the two. "Yes, well I've made some adjustments to your Harkonnen. I've downsized it, making it more portable from a 30mm cannon to a 20mm shotgun machine gun hybrid, also known as a machine shotgun."

Albert huffed as he yanked the Harkonnen out from underneath the long middle table and hoisted it up, proudly setting it down horizontally. Seras examined the new and improved weapon. Tracing her fingers across the grip and the barrel, she finally stepped in front of him and smiled, one hand still touching the gun.

"Rounds?" she asked

"It is capable of firing stubbed nosed 40mm grenades, and has armor piercing incendiary rounds. We've even managed to pull a few strings in order to use HE-white phosphorous warheads," he answered, "Though they've been technically banned since World War II under the Geneva Conventions…"

"Casings?"

"Moldovan Titanium, imported."

"My, my," Seras grinned at the gun and back at its presenter. Bright with anticipation for what she thought, Albert searched her eyes eagerly, waiting.

"It's more of a mixture between an XM-307 and an AA-12. I've added a pistol grip, it has a pneumatic belt feed that is attached to a backpack with the capacity of two hundred rounds, separated by type," he added with a smile.

"Ah, what kind of types?" Seras asked with interest.

"Standard fragmentation, AT-white phosphorous grenades, HE-incendiary grenades, air-bursting low viscosity napalm grenades, and my favorite, blessed CS gas grenades for riot control."

"I love it. This is exactly perfect; not too clunky, not to light-weight. It's now even better for shorter range than before," Seras thanked.

"There's one more th-"

"What of _my_ 'new and improved guns'?" Alucard twiddled his thumbs together, clearly bored.

Albert reluctantly looked back at the elder vampire and almost scowled. "Had I known that you would be arriving for the first time in thirty years, I would have had a new gun prepared for you. As of right now, you'll have to stick to your Jackal and Casull." He swiftly turned back around to Seras who looked slightly shocked at his behavior.

"You were saying?" Seras decided to play along, siding with Albert. Alucard frowned at his fledgling, taken aback that she would side with a butler.

Albert grinned and opened his arm for her once again. She gladly took it, and let him escort her to the back of the armory. They passed the elder vampire, who was trying to conceal his frustration, with not so much as a glance backward.

Alucard scoffed; but as they left him alone, he could not suppress a glance backward to see what they were up to. Interest got the better of him as he sighed and decided to follow the strange butler. He stalked them as the two walked to the back of the armory, Albert pushing random metal parts and assorted pieces of guns aside as they went. After Albert finally cleared a pathway for Seras, he extended his hand for her and guided the young vampire across the floor and to an even bigger table at the very back. The lighting was very poor, only having a cracked low-watt light bulb. However, it was more than enough for Seras to see as she pulled up a chair to the table. It had a huge blanket covering a gun, she presumed. The young Draculina giggled as Albert wriggled his fingers over the blanket, as if to add magic to the scene and to add dramatic effect.

"What you are about to see will blow your mind," he gripped the cloth and paused for theatrical purposes. Then, with one grunt, he ripped it off, exposing a gigantic tube-like weapon. "Voila!"

"Umm," Seras cocked her head to one side, "Wow…it's…uh…it's great!"

Albert chuckled, "Allow me to explain exactly what you are looking at. This is the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser Anti-Midian Cannon, Harkonnen III," he inhaled for air.

"Wait," Seras held up a hand, "You're saying, to me, that _that_ is a _laser_?"

"Very much so," Albert nodded and pointed to the large tube, "It's roughly 8ft long, 1ft in diameter, with a metal polymer shoulder strap. Now," Albert took her hand and guided her out of the seat to stand up, "If you would just hoist this up…"

"Oh, of course," Seras gripped the laser awkwardly and slid her hand underneath it. She then lifted it up and off of the table, trying to figure out where her hands should go.

"Perfect!" Albert exclaimed, "Now, your left hand goes on top of the side-front handle," he motioned to a small handle that stuck out of the top of the tube on the left side.

She gripped it with her left hand and paused.

"There you go. That's how you aim with this behemoth. Now this hand goes here..." Albert then took her right hand and placed it on the over-barrel trigger that was on the top as well, but closer to her side, letting his fingers guide hers to grasp the joystick.

She paused and stifled a giggle when she felt her master's presence in the room. "I see, so I hold it up with my left hand, which is also used for aiming, with the side handle that's in the front of the gun."

"Right. Your left hand will always be the farthest away from you. The trigger is also on the top, but it's closer to you and more to the side. So both hands are holding the gun from the top, not the bottom. You can lodge it so it can rest on your hip since it's longer than your height. There is hardly a kick, so you don't have to worry about bracing it against something. There would be no way you could hold it from the bottom and fire correctly," Albert agreed and let go of her hand. "If you look to your right, assuming you will rest it on your right hip because it's designed for a right-handed person, there is a vent with a slider-hatch."

Seras felt around the right side of the smooth surface of the laser, as Albert held the front part of the tube, until she felt a vent that had a slider handle that moved left and right. "I feel it."

"Good. That is the vent that can eject the spent power cells."

"Power cells?" her eyes widened.

"Yes," Albert's eyes brightened, "Power cells. Each is able to render five seconds of sustainable fire. You pop one of the canisters in and shut the vent. Then, within the tube, the first lens which is called the collection lens, collects all of the light being radiated by the reaction in the power cell and organizes it into one beam of light. The second, third, and fourth lenses all focus the beam, reducing the width of it from 1ft to 1in in thickness as it fires forward and exits the tube."

"Wow," Seras gasped and took hold of the front handle, letting Albert let go of the front for her. He then rubbed his hands together, allowing a small laugh to escape his lips.

"Do you wish to know the degree upon which you will be firing?" he almost whispered.

"What? Oh, you mean the temperature? Yes," Seras shifted her right foot forward slightly.

"The beam, when it is concentrated from 1ft to 1in, goes from 537.7 degrees to 3315.5 degrees Celsius; or 1,000 degrees to 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit!" the butler exclaimed with a hand flying out as if to show the magnitude of such voltage.

"WHAT? That's-"

"More than half temperature of the surface of the sun," Alucard interrupted, materializing in front of the laser. "My, my. They're using lasers already. Making dreams realities."

Albert smiled proudly and jutted his chin out in pride, "Such is the life of one who leads with science."

Seras smiled and nodded, agreeing. The young girl then gently set the bulky laser back onto the table and concealed it with the blanket. Albert was surprised at how graceful her movements were, that he mistook her for an angel for a moment. She then turned to her master expectantly. But he just grinned evilly and exposed his sharp razors.

"I don't suppose you could make me one of these fancy lasers," Alucard turned back to Albert, still wearing his grin.

The butler visibly shuddered slightly at the sight, avoiding eye contact. "At this time, it would behoove you to stay with your Jackal that Walter modified for you, though I did make a second Jackal. I guess you can use both now, instead of using the Casull. Seras even likes to take the Casull out soetimes. But we had in mind that you would be a close range while Seras would be more at a distance."

"So I'm the meat shield?" Alucard said in a monotone.

"No, you're the _expert_," Seras corrected before her master could start another argument. "Master, you need to feed," she remembered.

His eyes flashed in remembrance to the words he spoke to her the first night. "Ah, yes. So that I won't forget to drink and go into a theatrical, blood thirsty-induced haze. _That's_ why Albert is looking tastier by the second."

Albert's face lost all color as he griped the table for balance. The elder vampire seemed to loom over him, at least three inches taller. But Seras held back any idea her master had as she gripped Alucard's arm and started to head out. Albert remembered to breathe after they had exited the room.

"Thank you so much for the updates, Albert! I love them!" Seras called behind her shoulder as they left.

She closed the door and sealed it shut, but not locking it. Albert would spend most of his time in there, lab rat that he was. But as soon as she heard the door shut, she turned around and burst into laughter.

"You didn't have to scare him like that," she wheezed as Alucard led her down the hallway.

He continued to look outward, but smiled. "It seemed necessary. He needed to get off of his high horse, and frankly, I needed to feed."

"Oh, right, because you never get on your high horse at all. And you definitely need help being fed," Seras said sarcastically, shaking her head.

Alucard stopped. "I do if the source from which I drink stands before me. And what could be more important, or more damn pressing, than my needs?"

Seras felt her breath catch. "W-what?"

Alucard sighed, "I said: What could be more important, or more-"

"No, not that. Before that," Seras shook her finger at him.

Her master grinned turning to her, "Ah. Well, you didn't expect me to always eat non-virgin blood, filthy baskets that we have."

"You…mean…I…master I-"

Alucard suddenly grinned, exposing all of his teeth, seemingly spliting his cheeks in half, "Police girl, really. Too gullible, too gullible."

Her face turned bright red and she felt her fangs lengthen, "HOW DARE YOU?"

"But taking advantage of you has been one of my very favorite things to do," he protested, letting both arms out showing his defenselessness. But suddenly, he vanished into thin air, phasing.

_Hell no. This is war._

Closing her eyes tightly, Seras growled and concentrated. It only took her a second to trace his scent into his dungeon where she phased, following his trail. Materializing into his lair, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness and extended her senses.

"Here," a voice whispered behind her.

She whirled around and punched something. But instead of it crunching, popping, splintering, or even cracking, it held her fist in its grip and yanked her forward. She yelped and managed to regain her balance, realizing that it was one of Alucard's tendrils of darkness. She grinned.

"Ok, you wish to play that game?" the young Draculina let her own tendrils expand from her body, extending as a third arm of blackness.

Alucard appeared in front of her with red orbs filled with anticipation, "Yes, come to me. Show me all that I have missed in the past thirty years!"

Seras lunged for him and raked with her tendrils. The wrapped around his arm and constricted his wrists tightly. She raced up to him with rage in her eyes and slashed with her gloved hand. But he was faster, and swiftly moved out of the way, dodging her attack by inches. He then extended a tendril out and grabbed her own arm, yanking it toward him. She jerked back and sliced the unwanted tentacle with her fingers. She heard him growl at the pain but the darkness materialized right back.

In response, she lashed out once more with her other arm, forming it into a blade as it pierced through his side. He snarled and bit at her tendril, snapping it in half, causing her to shriek. He reached out with his now free hands and shoved her into a wall. Seras took this time to gain her balance and summon more darkness within her. They flashed out in front of her, letting her master have another taste of what she was capable of. He dodged most of the spiked tentacles, but a few caught on his coat, causing him to spin around.

One last tendril was able to chop one leg off from his knee and he stumbled to the ground. They reformed slower than normal, which is when Seras paused in confusion. Her blood-lust calmed for a moment where she didn't see everything in a red haze. Seras saw her master's eyes glow with hunger as he regained a leg and walked back up to her. But the young vampire then realized that he still hadn't fed; and that was probably the reason why he wasn't healing as fast as she.

_Oh no._

He raced forward and pinned her to the wall with both of his hands on her shoulder, her head slamming against it. His face was inches from hers, and she could even feel his cool breath brush past her bangs. Filled with thirst, longing abyss, unfathomable horrors, and unspeakable sins, his eyes stared her down with predacious precision. Even with the power she had, Seras still felt so small when fighting him. He had a way of making her feel insignificant, with those ancient red orbs. He growled and pushed her harder into the wood. She grunted but pushed back, equally as strong.

"Hmm, perhaps if I had more familiars I could overpower you. But tell me this: why are you so determined to fight your master?" he murmured.

"You challenged me," Seras countered.

"No," Alucard stated, "You punched. That was the first stroke."

Seras looked away indignantly and pouted, struggling against his iron grip. How could he ever possibly understand? How could he fathom what she felt? How could he understand human feelings, after more than five hundred years?

"You wouldn't understand," Seras felt her voice catch on a lump in her throat.

"Oh?" Alucard tightened his grip.

"No, you wouldn't. You were the one who told me to abandon all human emotions, so I don't expect you to understand how I feel," Seras controlled her voice.

"I told you that in the event of something drastic happening, so you wouldn't need to feel unnecessary emotions that humans have. You hold on too tightly to your humanity," he growled.

"Emotions are not unnecessary. Emotions are what make us feel," Seras objected.

"Of course," Alucard smirked, "And they're also responsible for what makes us irrational, unreasonable, and do rash things."

Seras then smirked, "You do that all on your own without them."

Alucard's lip curled upward, but not in a snarl; in a smile. "Yes. It takes a certain talent, doesn't it?"

There was a tangible pause where both vampires stared into the other's eyes, searching their souls. Both were slightly out of breath, though the action was not needed to survive. Both equally matched for the first time, Alucard felt something stir within him. It wasn't something that he recognized, at first. But a thought suddenly entered into his mind: she'd grown. Maybe not physically, but mentally. This girl was not the same young woman he had turned thirty years ago. Was it possible for her to hold new and intriguing concepts in her possession of knowledge? Was it just beneath the surface, waiting eagerly for him to see? Was she reaching out to him?

Just as Seras inhaled to speak the truth of her feelings, she heard her phone ring an alarm sound. She wriggled out of Alucard's grasp slowly and reached for her pocket. Opening up the screen, she saw that Albert had sent her a message.

-460 Cheddar Village.  
><span>Two Suspect Vampires<span>  
><span>Army of Ghouls<span>  
><span>Proceed with caution<span>-

Seras blinked. Cheddar Village.

"Something the matter?" Alucard asked, peering over her shoulder curiously.

After being sucked into past memories, she almost gasped at his presence. "Oh! I just got an alarm from Albert. He coordinates all of the police forces in the armory as well in a separate room. He just told me the address where two vampires and-"

"I know that, I looked over your shoulder," Alucard exhaled, "I was asking if there was something wrong with killing guilty vampires."

"No, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just…" she paused, reaching for the back of her head and looking away.

"Ah, its sentimental value. Again, you and your emotions," Alucard shook his head and proceeded to walk to his coffin.

Seras became red again, "Look, it's where you turned me. Oh, forget it. I'm off. Sir Integra would wish for you to stay here and rest."

"Indeed," Alucard sat on his coffin and looked his fledgling over.

She rolled her eyes, remembering to feed him and walked over to her coffin that was next to his. Secretly, she moved it back to Alucard's dungeon. After what had happened the first time when he turned into Dracula, she didn't want to chance anything happening. And, Seras figured that if she was in the same room as him, she could quell whatever actions he took in the room before he went to other rooms and ransacked the whole mansion.

Reaching into her grave, the young vampire pulled out a basket of blood that she kept at the foot of her coffin, usually for a midmorning snack. His eyes immediately locked onto the liquid and his tongue darted out to lick the sides of his mouth. She placed it in front of him and watched gleefully as he tore through the wrappings like butter. His eyes rolled back at the nourishing taste, letting some drip down his chin. His Draculina giggled at the sight, now content that he was content.

"Are you alright, now?" Seras asked with a playful smile.

"I could ask you the same question, Police girl," Alucard muttered, somewhat offended by the 'mothering' question.

The smile on her lips fell. "Fine," she said with neither anger nor pout. Sadness was all the word contained. He really would never comprehend what she felt. He was too far-gone to even understand what a caring voice sounded like.

With muscles that were tired already, she swallowed and turned around to leave her master in peace. Alone. Like he would always want it.

"Seras."

She turned back around, noticing that his face stared out at the moon. "Master?"

"Use caution. Don't hesitate. Most vampires we run into don't have the morals that we…well, that _you_ do," he grinned, still looking at the bright sphere in the sky.

"I won't disappoint you, master," Seras stated with a feeling of slight renewed hope.

* * *

><p>Woohoo! Another chapter down. Hopefully, I didn't lose you in the armory with Albert. To assist you, here's the glossary. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK...PLEAAASSSEEEEE!<p>

Seriously, drop me a note if you liked it 3  
>(Comments for people are below)<p>

~Glossary~

~**HE-White Phosphorous warheads** (grenades)- High energy white phosphorous were known for their use in WWII and were banned under the Geneva Conventions due to their destruction.  
>~<strong>XM-307<strong>- a 25 mm belt-fed Grenade Machine Gun. It is lightweight, and designed to be a two-man portable, as well as vehicle mounted. Its range is up to 2,000 meters and can destroy light armored vehicles such as helicopters, watercraft, and some armored vehicles.  
>~<strong>AA-12<strong>- Originally known as The Atchisson Assault Shotgun. It is selective fire, operating as a semi-automatic, or in fully automatic mode at 300 rounds per minute. The weapon can have ammunition such as buckshot, slugs, or less-than-lethal rubber stun batons. It can also fire flares or special Frag-12 19 mm fin-stabilized HE, HEAP, and sensor fused HEAB "air-burst" fragmentation shells that can detonate in mid-air. (lol, brother def. helped me)  
>~<strong>Pneumatic belt feed<strong>- belt feed into the gun used with air pressure instead of manually putting each bullet in.  
>~<strong>Air-bursting low viscosity napalm grenades<strong>- Yeah…I kinda made that up (teehee) but low viscosity means that it's not very thick and the grenade doesn't explode; it just bursts and then leaks napalm everywhere. Hey, we're fighting vampires here; they sensitive to fire, right? Hahahaha  
>~<strong>Blessed CS Gas Grenades<strong>- Tear gas, only it's been blessed (muhahaha) so if you throw it in…say…a crowd of protesters and two guys start coughing and hacking because their throats are melting, they JUST might be vampires, wouldn't you agree? :)  
>~<strong>Over-barrel trigger<strong>- a joystick. Like some videogames.  
>~<strong>COIL<strong>- Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser. Yes, we already have these. Believe it or not. But they're not as awesome as I've made them ;) And I've already explained them, so please don't make me write it twice. Everything that they do, Albert has already said. He explains it better than I ever could.

To **FeuWitch**: :) It's still an AlucardxSeras pairing. But I wanted to be fair to their true characters. Alucard does flirt with Integra in the 3rd volume, so I decided to make him do it again (inevitable really) because we all know that he thinks Integra is hot. He's just going to have to realize that Seras has grown up too. So far, she's only challenged him a few times, one where it looked like he actually liked it (when she laughs at him in the 2nd chapter (?)). He will slowly see Seras for who she is now, but it will take time.

To **Vyliss**: hahahahahaha! Sorry, I had to. I saw an opportunity to let my readers know he still loves sexual undertones to everything…damn Alucard…hahahaha And yay credit! Five stars for me! Can't wait to see what you think of this one. Hopefully, you didn't get lost in the 'gun speak'. I tried to make it understandable.

To **Trinnerti**: Thank you! I think I did well. Damn APs. Hahaha I love the butler too. Albert is so cool. So formal. So sweet on Seras. He totally has a crush on her (teehee) As I said, he's the brains underneath everything identified as a weapon on the Hellsing mansion.

To **Animefan111**: Exactly, a rush story ends up being sloppy, or it can be. Yes, the new members have little faith in her. Most of them, as you know, are young and were infants, at best, when London went up in Hell's flames. :D I'm so happy you laughed, I was hoping someone would think it funny. That vampire does have amazing entrances. Very theatrical. Only the best can pull it off :) And yay for new weapons! I had SO much fun talking about this with my brother. He's in love with anything military or anything that has to deal with science so I asked him, making sure everything was plausible.

To **Kiryuu500**: Ah! Thank you for enjoying Albert! He is my creation, and I was hoping that someone would like him as much as me. I'm interested to see how his character is too. I kind of have a general idea, but it's amazing how your own characters take a life of their own eventually. As for right now, he's like a younger, less traitorous Walter with a crush on Seras. He won't really be in the field with Alucard or Seras, but maybe someday something will happen.

To **iced diamond**: I tried to make the ending at least slightly humorous. Like Shakespeare, after a really saddening and depressing act, he would start a new one with fresh humor. In the last chapter, Integra was discussing the seriousness of Alucard returning, and then Seras came in with a Section XIII bayonet with news of protests outside her mansion. And to top it all of, Alucard makes an appearance, in the flesh, after 30 years of absence. I had to make something funny to release the tangible tension in the room! So ecstatic that you liked it! I hope this next chapter was to your liking as well!


	6. Insidious Intentions

**Update: Half-way done with AP's!**

**A/N:** Don't forget about Section XIII! There's STILL HERE! At first, this chapter was just with Heinkel and Seras, but then the dialogue didn't flow right and I HAVE to give this justice, so I lengthened it out for you guys...and for me :) I decided to start out with Heinkel. But MAN is it hard to type what she says. Stupid Nazi Captain Werewolf shooting her in the face…damn him. Well...technically, he's already damned...for eternity in Hell...

~thank you for all of the encouragement so far. I've only gotten a handful of reviews per chapter, and I was hoping to get more. Don't get me wrong, it's WONDERFUL to hear from my devoted readers (I wanna keep hearing from you devoted ones!), but are there any of you out there who I haven't talked to who like it? Please, even if it's the smallest note, tell me what you think. I'd LOVE more reviews; it helps my fluctuating confidence in writing this~

Btw- Chief Makube is the man left in charge of Section XIII in the tenth book…or so I'm led to believe…

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

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><p>Insidious Intentions<p>

The wind had definitely picked up and the tree branches swayed gently with the breeze of the night air. Crisp, but not terribly cold, the air seemed to swirl around a lone agent, brushing leaves gently across the gravel pathway. The night calmed her wound nerves and she took in a deep breath of cold air. The agent was bundled with warm jackets, in no particular rush, to a small village where she knew a certain vampire had been turned. A certain vampire that should have died thirty years ago by her hand. She tossed her short hair to the wind, and scoffed softly. But the past was the past, and she scuffed her foot along the dirt, watching a stray rock roll to the side of the road. The village was near, and so was her revenge.

Heinkel adjusted the scarf that was wrapped around her neck and continued forward, enjoying the night's peacefulness…for now. She habitually checked her two pistols, both filled with blessed bullets, and zoned out looking at the moon.

***Flash Back***

"Hut Hsir, hwhy hdo Hi have hto go hee hif hthere his home hind hof hampire hthreat? Hwhy han't Hi hust hend hMeredith? She hneeds hthe hractice," Heinkel argued.

"Because," Chief Makube lifted a hand, "You're our top agent. Besides, I need my best men out there right now."

Heinkel paused. "Hsir, there's hmore, hisn't there? Hyou houldn't hjust hask hme hto hdo hthis hithout telling hme hthe hull htruth. Hwhat's hgoing hon?"

Chief Makube shifted in his leather seat. The office suddenly seemed two sizes too small as the awkward pause entered the room. He couldn't lie to her, but he couldn't spill everything; could he?

"Well…to be honest, I sent Nepis and Mark off a week ago to kill these two vampires that were wreaking havoc along the coast of Armagh, Ireland. With it being the seat of the Archbishop of Armagh, we cannot have his life in danger, especially in these darker times. I don't care if they're mostly Protestant up there; it's Ireland. And if vampires threaten one piece of her, they threaten all of us. I don't have to remind you what happened the first time heathens took an archbishop down, the hell it raised, and the following deaths after that skirmish. I will not have it repeated again!" Chief Makube slammed his fist down on the wooden desk. It creaked in anger back at him.

"Hi hunderstand. Hi hill hgo hand hexterminate heverything hin my hath. Hut happened to Nepis hand Mark?" Heinkel asked, though she felt she had heard the answer many times before.

Chief Makube looked away, ashamed that he'd let them down, "They haven't returned, and I fear the worst."

Heinkel straightened up, filled with renewed hatred, "Hi hon't hlet hanything leave hthat huilding."

"Oh, and Heinkel," the chief called, "You will be heading into enemy Protestant territory. Our agents have chased them to Cheddar Village, England."

Heinkel stopped and turned back around, her face withholding shock, "But hsir, hthat's hwell hithin hthe hlines hof hthe Hellsing Horder. Hit hill hbe harticularly hangerous hince hey have more holice hofficers hand SAS holdiers hround the hclock."

"Heinkel, you are the only one of our agents who can possibly handle this situation. Do you wish for them to kill more humans?" Chief Makube stood up, as if to look threatening.

"No," Heinkel gritted her teeth, "HI'll hdo hit."

***End of Flashback***

Part of her wished to cause destruction within any Protestant land. But such days were gone where she could freely do so. She had aged quite harshly, not to mention the fact that a certain Nazi captain had shot almost half of her face off. She was older now, and had to be more aware of her surroudings, and couldn't afford to be as cavalier in her actions as it once was expected.

The agent stalked a long building of measurable size. The church's walls towered over any buildings in the distance. It seemed to be placed there to find soliitariety; and find it it did. Rows of bland windows embellished the sides of its otherwise painfully blank walls. It looked more like a prison than a place of worship. Heinkel stalked along the rows of trees encircling the fortressed church. She pulled out infrared binoculars and scanned the perimeter. If she was right in her guess, the vampires would show up on her lenses.

"Hgotcha," Heinkel whispered as two bodies appeared on her screen. She was right: they'd just fed. And when vampires just feed, their bodies radiate with warmth from the blood, making them far easier to detect with infrared in such a desolate area.

The agent stealthily walked up to one of the many trees and crouched down next to a bush. She pulled out one of her pistols and checked a certain samurai sword that had sentimental value to it. Sliding her finger along the blade, she flinched as her finger caught on it. A smile accompanied the action as she remembered who had used the weapon thirty years ago. The agent proceeded to whisper her prayer, and she motioned to reveal herself and run up to bash a window in. But no sooner had she almost done so when another figure appeared on the scene. Another vampire had come, but this one was far from friend.

"Hey you!" Heinkel heard the girl shout, "Come on out or I'll knock this door in!"

Heinkel peeked through the bush to see Seras Victoria armed and dangerous, waiting at the front door. Heinkel noticed that Seras was holding a new model of the Harkonnen. She was wearing it with a belt feed that entered the gun from the side and had ammunition already secured within the belt. The agent could even recognize the Standard frag. grenades Seras was armed with as she pounded on the door. There was a pause for about a second, and then Seras kicked the doors down with immeasurable grace. Heinkel then raised her chin up just enough to see over the bush from the outside at what was happening on the inside.

"I said come on out, you cowards!" Seras shouted, scanning the dark room with a predator stare.

Movement had caused her eyes to lock onto a silhouette that appeared in the broken rays of moonlight streaming in from a cracked window. A woman's figure revealed itself as she walked up cautiously. Her eyes were warm and caring, her hand extended outward as a gesture of good-will. She approached with slight restraint and paused in front of Seras with an innocent expression.

"You are welcome here. I thought you were one of the police officers, or worse, one of the SAS soldiers," the woman opened her hand even more, as if to guide Seras in a guest.

The Hellsing agent cocked her head to one side, completely baffled at the woman's hospitality. "I'm not exactly one of your kind," she then turned to show the Hellsing insignia on her shoulder that was stitched to the fabric of her uniform.

The woman's eyes suddenly flahsed in controlled anger. "Oh, I see. You're one of the humans' _pets_ that they experiment on, like a _rat_."

"Enough," Seras muttered.

"And while your own kind is trying to evade persecution that would make _Hitler_ nauseous, you ally with the very beings who try to exterminate us," the woman's hand turned into a fist.

"Enough!" Seras shouted, "I do not associate myself with vampires who kill meerely for the game of it. That privilege was taken from us long ago, especially since thirty years ago."

Outside, Heinkel lifted the binoculars to her eyes. The other vampire was making an escape! The Earthly Agent of Divine Punishment felt her legs shoot out from underneath her as she ran for it at a full sprint. As if it were a reflex, she was taught to kill any heathen that stood in her path of succeeding her mission, and killing this heathen was her mission. Heinkel chased it at inhuman speed over soft rolling hills and through one little creek. She wasn't about to forget Mark and Nepis and what they did to try and preserve the fragile peace between vampire and human...or what was left of it. The man had a considerable gain on Heinkel, but she pursued until they reached the outskirts of a small forest. Coat flapping in the wind and leaves whipping her cheeks, she raced up the last ten feet to the hideous man and drew her pistol without hesitation.

"HSTOP!" Heinkel shouted; and to her surprise, he did.

The man paused and took in a deep breath. Heinkel rested her aim on his heart as he slowly turned around to face his challenger. A mutilated face with scars that made him completely unrecognizable exposed itself to the agent, his eyes containing the wildest rage. Heinkel supressed her gag reflex as the face was exposed to her. As if sensing her distaste, the vampire scoffed and grinned, revealing sharp razor teeth and a long, slithering tongue that was anxious to taste his next meal.

"I see Section XIII sent you to do what Mark and Nepis couldn't. You know, Catholics are much tastier than Protestants...not sure what it is, but they're sweeter," the man rested one leg and folded his arms, delighted than the agent turned bright red at the comment.

"Henough halking. Hyou hwill hmake ha hfine haddition hin Hell," Heinkel pulled the trigger.

The vampire easily dodged the bullets with each balanced step, enclosing the space between them. Heinkel jumped out of the way with grace as he raked with his hands to grab at her side. The vampire snarled as he backed up, rubbing his hands together, clearly conserving his energy for the main event. Heinkel braced herself as his ghouls crept from the forest in row after row. They groaned and focused themselves onto Heinkel, understanding what their master had communicated to them. Some of their heads were falling off, some missing limbs, some eyes, and some missing entire fronts to their bodies, as if someone had taken a machete and pushed it down the body, starting at the face. Heinkel shook her head in disgust as she saw a fair percentage of them wearing police uniforms. These souls needed to be put to rest, and quickly.

Heinkel unsheathed her samurai, but kept one eye on the demon orchestrating this farce. She couldn't afford to waste bullets on the ghouls; the bullets had to be saved for their master. She lifted the sword to her face and saluted the poor souls as they proceeded to shoot at her with their weapons. The agent was able to lift herself into the air just as the bullets passed her body. A few caught on her coat, tearing the leather into shreds at the ends. However, Heinkel made it into a tree and used one of its branches to slingshot herself into the crowds of the undead. They growled and gargled as she sliced through them with ease. The samurai sword tore through rotting flesh as the agent puched others or kicked them into the ground. They continued to fire, some even hitting their fellow ghouls, all in the attempt to touch the well-trained Section XIII agent. Yet no bullet nor gun wielded was quick enough to even graze her perfection. She whirled around each threat and ripped through her enemies with barbaric vengance. She didn't even seem to notice blood spattering all over her as she danced between each ghoul.

One by one, they fell to their final deaths, forming into dust when the ghouls hit the grass. Heinkel decapitated the last undead and turned to the vampire. A look of shock was in the guise of a cheerful smile as he walked forward, clapping his hands slowly. Heinkel scoffed once again and grinned at her next target.

"Well now, I didn't expect you to kill all of my ghouls. But a determined agent such as yourself...I shouldn't assume anything less," the man raised his chin and let his arms hang down at his sides.

"Hut hthe hchatter. Hyou hwaste the hair hyou hreathe," Heinkel sheathed her sword.

"As you wish, my dear agent," the man no sooner spoke when he lunged for her.

Heinkel cursed at his agility, trying to pull out both pistols quickly; but not quickly enough. Lashing out with a claw, he tore easily through her coat and ripped her belt, causing her sword to clank to the ground. With the other hand, he reached for her face, eyes black with abominable darkness. She feinted left with ease, dodging his first attack with just a ripped sleeve. The second, she was not so lucky with. He grabbed onto her face with unbelievable strength, and she cursed herself for being so slow.

"Got you," he growled.

"No, Hi hgot hyou," Heinkel muttered as she pulled the trigger to both of her pistols.

The vampire shrieked in pain as he let go of her face and staggered backwards. His hand flew to his chest as they tried to clutch the bullet wound. Heinkel proceeded to fire, some hitting the abomination. He was still able to dodge most of the bullets, but he also began to run, much to Heinkel's dismay. She swore once more as her feet pounded the ground, trying to gain speed again. All that was left were her reserves of adrenaline, now pumping through her heaving body. Muscles in her legs screamed for oxygen as she continued forward, beside her better judgment. She chased him into a new building filled with the smell of drying paint. Screaming, though completely out of breath, she shoved the vampire into a wall. The wood groaned as it cracked and caved into the next room. Dust flew freely around Heinkel as she whirled around, trying to sense where he'd gone. The entire room fell silent, only crickets chirping from the outside. But Heinkel knew he was still here; he wouldn't just abandon his best catch. A sudden creaking noise from a floorboard made the agent fire her gun from behind, which she could do with some ease.

The damn vampire shot his arms out and grabbed her from behind. With one hand, he pinned both of hers down; and with the other, he gripped her into a chockehold. Heinkel realized that she only had seconds and pushed off of the wall she was originally shoved against. The vampire snarled as he stumbled backwards at the force and careened into another wall. It splintered and caved in, causing both beings to fall to the floor. Heinkel tried reaching for her pistols, for anything, but she felt her bones starting to snap under her enemy's grasp. He growled and quickly let his teeth go for her throat.

"HEINKEL!" a different voice shouted.

One moment, Heinkel was choking in the vampire's unbelievable grip; the next moment, she was free of his grasp and watching the heathen stagger back. She focused her somewhat dazed eyes onto the vampire's body and realized that her samurai sword had pierced his chest from behind. She flipped up on her heels and blinked. A very familiar figure, though bruised and battered, beaten and bloodied, almost to no recognition, had appeared at the right time.

"Mark?" Heinkel's eyes widened.

The man kept both eyes on the writhing vampire but nodded. "Aye, it's me. We were able to kill most of his army of ghouls and finally corner him in that hollow church building. Allow me to finish off what I should have killed days ago."

Heinkel stepped aside and watched Mark step forward and toward the vampire. It crouched and cringed, making guttural noises and tried to crawl away. But no threatening noise and baring teeth could stall the advance of a very pissed off Section XIII agent. The vampire still tried to grip at the silver-bladed samurai, but being blessed and bathed in holy water, its fingers burned at the touch.

"I'll never regret killing your friend," the vampire grinned, "Nepis was his name, right?"

Mark paused, clenching his fists. "You will not call him by his name, vile demon."

The vampire inched away, still crawling on his hands and knees, "A wanker for thinking that drawing me out in the open would work."

Mark shot forward and drew out a dagger. "YOU SHALL PAY! NOW GO TO HELL, FOUL SOUL!"

But a flash of darkness entered the room and struck Mark into the ground, causing him to drop his weapon and collide with the the floorboards. Heinkel raced forward to assist Mark when she saw a different vampire materialize in front of the wounded vampire, holding him upright by the shirt. The agent's blood curdled at the realization of who it was, and what had happened. She pointed her finger at the wounded vampire and reached for her pistol with her other hand, ready for the situation to get continually worse.

"Heras Hictoria," Heinkel muttered with deep hatred.

Seras gripped the other vampire's shirt tighter as she felt him slightly struggle against her. "Heinkel," she nodded and grinned, "My arch rival."

Heinkel smirked and took a step forward, though she was still protectively hovering over Mark's unconscious body. "Hdo hyou healize hwhat hyou hare hdoing?"

Seras snorted and lightly tossed her hair, "Of course I know what I'm doing. Would I be here with you, otherwise?"

Mark coughed, showing signs of consciousness. He opened his eyes, completely in a daze, and tried to focus on the tall and slim figure now holding the injured vampire up by his collar. The young agent blinked and struggled to rise, but managed with the help of his fellow agent. After a few moments, the man inhaled, shaking off frayed nerves, and frowned at Seras, clearly offended at the action she took to stop him.

"What gives you the right to spare his life?" Mark spat, "He has killed police officers, civilians, and a Section XIII agent."

"While I don't personally mind the latter of the three, I didn't knock you down for the purpose of saving this fallen soul. If you kill him, I won't be able to absorb his blood and find out why he is here," Seras said, as if it were obvious.

Heinkel stepped forward before Mark could at the evident insult. She let Seras notice the pistol that was now resting comfortable in her hand.

"Hi hdo hope hyou hknow hthat hour hittle treaty has hgone hto Hell," Heinkel's hand twitched and Mark grinned.

Seras grinned in return, "And I do hope you know that you're on enemy soil, treaty or no treaty."

Unfortunately, the vampire within Seras's grasp lashed out at her arm, snapping it at the elbow. The action caused Seras to jerk backward in surprise at the sudden motion and she yelped in pain. The vampire backed himself into the corner of another wall. He bared his teeth once more at his enemies. Two agents and a Hellsing vampire covered each of the exits and watched their enemy wobble on shaky legs. He managed to pull out the samurai, finally, giving some of his strength back. The agents decided to move in, but not before the rogue held up a hand.

"That's far enough," it growled with a raspy voice, "I don't think you'll be able to even come close to why I'm here, not that I'll give you the pleasure of knowing since you," he pointed to Seras, "Have killed my mate and my reason to live."

"WAIT!" Seras shouted, racing toward the vampire.

But the man took the silver samurai into his hand and quickly sliced through his throat, exposing constricted muscle and spilling blood everywhere. He pressed the steaming serrated blade further into his neck, cutting all the way through to his spine and snapping the bone. The weapon sliced all the way around his neck and he laughed as his head detached from his broad shoulders. Seras was just in time to grab his falling shoulders and heard the clank of the sword dropping from his hand. She watching his head roll down the floor, a grin carved into his face.

The Hellsing vampire stood there, gripping his shoulders and looking at what should have been his head; an empty space in its place. She...she failed? A breeze flew softly past her from the shattered windows, and the enemy vampire's body crumbled in her grip, causing the dust to fall and thump on the ground. A pile now stood where a body should have been. Seras closed her eyes, realizing that she'd failed her master…both masters.

"Good," Mark whispered, turning around to Heinkel. But her face was still glued to the back of Seras's head.

"You…have caused me to fail…" Seras whispered and moved slowly back around, letting her eyes change to a murderous red as she opened them.

"Come!" Heinkel shouted and drew her weapon, "Come hampire! Hi've haited hso long hfor hthis! Hit's two hagainst hone! Hyou're going to hlose hthis hime!"

Seras burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she tried to breathe for air, "You really think that I'm the _only one left_ in Hellsing?"

"Hyour hmaster his hlong hgone, he hcannot have hyou," Heinkel grinned, firing one round as fast as she could.

Seras easily, effortlessly, dodged the bullets, twirling this way and that. The young Draculina made the previous vampire look clumsy as she danced around each of the firing bullets, while also holding onto her modified Harkonnen. She paused, taunting the fact that she was still standing, as Heinkel reloaded her weapon.

"Then that was your first logical mistake in reasoning," Seras murmured, but just loud enough for the agents to hear.

They paused and frowned at her. Heinkel then reloaded her weapon, but lowered it at Seras's words. A growing realization stirred within her as she narrowed her eyes at the Hellsing vampire. It _couldn't_ be...

"Hwhat hare hyou halking habout?" Heinkel asked.

"You're saying that there are more vampires at Hellsing? You monsters! You swore to protect humanity just as we do: to kill vampires, not produce them!" Mark shouted, reaching for a dagger within his cloak.

Seras chuckled, "No, _boy_. How foolish of you to think that we would do such an act," the young vampire paused, "But I think Heinkel over here does understand just what I'm telling you."

"What is she talking about, Heinkel?" Mark turned to his superior who had continued to lower her weapon until it fell limp at her side.

The Section XIII agent inhaled and shook her head, "Heras, hare hyou haying hthat Alucard his hback?"

Seras only grinned as an answer, causing Heinkel's eyes to widen.

"No, no it's not possible! He was consumed by Schrödinger!" Mark shook his head vehemently.

"Mark!" Heinkel interrupted, turning to the panicked young man, "He hust hleave, hnow. He hannot hill her hith hwhat he have, hand Hi'm not haking hany hances."

Mark looked at her disbelievingly, "Heinkel, we can take her!"

Seras giggled and awaited her arch rival's response.

"No...hwe han't. Not hith hwhat Hi have hleft, hwe hon't," Heinkel shook her head.

Seras nodded in agreement, "We are both somewhat tired. It would be a better climate to fight in where we were btoh rested and had adequate ammunition."

Heinkel concealed her pistols into her ripped cloak and looked at Mark. His crop of light brown hair was stained with red blood, as was his face and most of his uniform. His face was, indeed, battered and bruised, but his eyes still held bright anticipation and strength; strength that she had in her eyes so many years ago. Strength and determination. And although time was her only true enemy at this point, she felt that there was hope in Section XIII agents still, even if most of the new recruits were quite green. A wave of pride hit her as she turned back around to the Hellsing agent.

"Until next time, foul vampire," she muttered and put a hand on Mark's shoulder. He gruffly nodded, and stiffly exited the room.

"I'll be awaiting our next meet," Seras called after them. She could sense their growing fear, especially Heinkel's, at their realization of Alucard's return. She was almost puzzled that they didn't question whether or not she was lying.

"Perhaps it was because they felt my presence," a deep voice entered the room.

Seras jumped slightly but chuckled, "Ah, I see now. So you were here the whole time, then."

Alucard materialized next to his fledgling with a smile, "Almost all of it. The entertainment far surpasses attending a play," he paused and turned to completely face her, "What of the girl you were supposed to have drained?"

Seras hung her head in submission, "I...she killed herself before I was able to drain her...I was so close..."

Alucard's eyes darkened at her words, but he said nothing. Instead, he looked outside of a broken window to the beginning of a rising sun.

"I'm so sorry, my master. I failed you, and I promised I wouldn't," Seras slouched her shoulders, waiting for her chastisement. None came.

Alucard looked down at her face and let his smile return once more, "I believe that this is good practice for you. And it is clear that they do not wish for us to find out what their purpose was...unless, of course, their purpose was just to kill, like some agency we know."

"Master," Seras shook her head, "We, as Hellsing agents, are ordered to kill vampires guilty of murdering innocent lives...as well as vampires just in general. There is a difference between killing humans and vampires."

Alucard's eyes sparkled with intrigue as he exited the building, "And what of the innocent vampires?"

Seras followed him and breathed in to speak; but then, she paused. "Any vampire is guilty because of his or her's existence."

"Then you have been indoctrinated far more effectively than I'd thought," Alucard chuckled, though Seras felt a hint of disgust. "You see, we really are traitors to our kind, my dear," the elder vampire walked silently onto the wavy grass, his fledgling in step beside him.

Seras frowned, not liking the idea at all. "And what are you? The voice of Reason?" she lightly grunted.

"No, far from it. Just an old vampire who has seen too much of history to ignore what is so blatantly shown," Alucard sighed, "But come, we must report back to Integra. The dawn approaches, and you look quite tired."

Seras smiled, "Thank you, master," she slightly bowed her head, grateful for no reprimand of any sort. He wasn't one to gloss over faliures. Apparently, he was sweeter to her tonight.

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><p>Poor Section XIII. Chief's not gonna be happy! :D<p>

And yes, Alucard is sweeter to Seras. She has taken care of Integra quite well after he left, so please don't think he wouldn't appreciate what she's done…on some level. (even tho he shows his affection in the strangest ways...) Besides, she _is_ his forever, and I imagine he's going to enjoy her (teehee)

~The next chapter is going to be mostly with Integra (she's my favorite character, besides Alucard) Albert, and a little Alucard. Seras will be sleeping mostly. Sorry, but I need to take a break from her. And don't worry: if you think that these enemies will be even remotely like the Nazi vampires and how they killed themselves from Hellsing obtaining information, I can tell you you're wrong right now. That may be similar (the fact that my enemies and the Nazis kill themselves b4 Hellsing can find out what's going on) but I can assure you that their similarities end there... Muhahahaha!~

Also, next chapter I will introduce British Hellsing SAS Soldiers (yesss!)

-Can anyone guess whose samurai sword Heinkel was using? :)

-Better yet, can anyone tell me what I'm spelling in my titles? Look closely…-  
>:D<p>

To **Animefan111**: I love Albert too! Yeah, I had to have some Alucard/Seras action :) to satisfy my AlucardxSeras readers who are constantly looking for that interaction. I have to be careful though, because I've pledged to stay true to their characters as well. It's a blade that cuts both ways, and I'm afraid I'll cross a line somewhere along this road. Oh, you're welcome, I needed the Glossary as well! Hahahaa, I never mind a confession of love directed toward myself :) It sure helps my self-esteem.

To **iced diamond**: Ah, thank you. It's tricky when I have to stay true to his character, but have him notice changes. I imagine that something to that effect happened when he was awakened by Integra back in the 80's(?) as well. He has to know and come to understand that Fledglings do grow, as do the rest of the characters. I tried to slip in some more Alucard/Seras interaction, but again, I have to be delicate and careful at what I do. Hopefully this chapter was as good?

To **DreamingOfDissent**: Ha! You and I have the same problem then. I promised to myself that, in the even I ever wrote a fanfic, I would make Seras bad ass. Her character, especially at the end of the book, is not a swooning little child who falls (or would fall if Kohta had any true affectionate scenes) for her master. She is a LOT stronger than everyone gives her credit for. I'm glad you realize that too :) And thank you for the comment. Maybe this chapter further solidified her strength for you.

To **Marionette Queen**: Albert IS like a mini Walter, only I hope my reader know that he if far more buried into the science of everything that is vampire. In later chapters, you will be watching him crouched over books and endless stacks of papers explaining the physiology of vampires and why they seem practically fourth dimensional. I can't wait to see what you think of this chapter!

To **Ludifer**: Yeah, I was thinking of just interpreting the ending as I did with The Give and Take of Relationships, but then my readers liked it so much, and I'd _dreamed_ of continuing this story...so I was like, "Aw, what the hell?" hahahahaha! And thank you for the comment on The Give and Take! It's so flattering to keep getting responses on that little piece. I wish I could continue it, but I would just run into the rest of the Hellsing story...anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

To **Vyliss**: THANK YOU for realizing that it was NON FLUFF! Well...for the most part...you know Alucard enjoyed it :P But yes, it wasn't lovey-dovey. I don't think he ever will be in this fic...not a lot anyway. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ohh wooow, you'll never let me live that down, will you? He likes Integra too! hahaha. I know, I know: I better keep to AlucardxSeras, huh? Foy your sake ;P I hope your heart is ok after this chapter, though I added some Alucard/Seras interaction for readers like you. I can't forget that they go in pairs now. Even if Alucard was suposed to sleep, I like to sometimes think he worries for Seras. But we'll never know in that complex mind of his, now will we?

To **Trinnerti**: Thank you for noticing that Seras won't be this little girl always cringing at Alucard's voice anymore. She's much stronger than in most of the fics I see people write, and it makes my stomach knot up and twist my nerves. Hahaha, I'm glad you liked Albert/Alucard comments back and forth. They were TOTALLY sizing each other up. If nto for Seras, then definitely for their own mile-long egos! :D I hope you liked this chapter as well.


	7. Nonsensical Negligence

**A/N:** Finally the next chapter! I was just like, "Alright! Enough touch ups is enough!" So excited for this chapter's release. It's first from Alucard's perspective. I THOUGHT I was going to get to British SAS, (sigh), but it didn't happen. I don't want to rush them, because right now they're just returning from their mission. The colonel is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I know you guys will like him, just like how most of you so far think well of Albert =3

~I was totally listening to Paul Cardall's Redeemer. I love that contemporary jazz pianist! And Thomas Newman. And Hans Zimmer. Rachel Portman. Trevor Rabin. Wojciech Kilar. Celtic Woman…anyway, you get the point ;)~

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

And yeah...my titles are meant to not make much sense. I'm just trying to spell something out here...hopefully some of you readers see what it is :D

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><p>Nonsensical Negligence<p>

Alucard watched as his fledgling slept so peacefully in her grave. The elder vampire smiled, remembering the night he had turned her; those fluttering eyes, staccato gasps for air, her hand reaching for his in a plea to survive, and determined eyes. She dared death to envelop her. She chose limbo instead: a living hell walking the earth forever. A soul, wandering along the river Styx. A damned soul.

He sighed, watching her body nestle itself even further within the blankets and pillows of the already cushioned coffin. She would never be completely a vampire to him. Granted, she had drunk while Alucard was there, and drunk for the thirty years after his disappearance. However, she was more human than any vampire he knew, of her own choice as well. Seras was not forced to be so caring and compassionate, pitying, and modest. If anything, her daily routines demanded the opposite from her. Perhaps that was why she swung to the other side of the pendulum in her manner.

Her master rubbed his temples, slouching in his chair, trying to shrug off tired restlessness. He was hungry, but not hungry enough to find a basket. He had energy, but not enough to venture anywhere. The elder vampire lifted circular, wire-framed glasses from his eyes and examined them carelessly, remembering the gathering crowd of protesters outside Hellsing's gates earlier that morning. They would never really quit, the ignorant.

Alucard scoffed and closed his ancient orbs, waiting for Integra to rise. He felt her stirring in her sleep. He sensed her hypnic jerks and the occasional tossing and turning. The actions made him more curious as he then chose to follow her. She turned onto her side and groaned slightly.

Alucard opened his eyes and smiled, "A _dream_. My master's having a dream…"

His mind dug deeper into the realms of her abandoned fortressed conscience, for she was fast asleep. Integra's mind was blank at surface level. Alucard saw nothing at first, but then little clouds of thought emerged from the depths. He flew past the clouds of her mindless thoughts and drabbles of the day. Deeper. Deeper. Then he saw strings of thoughts placed together; they formed a small picture, frozen like a sculpture in contraposition. He soared passed those and hit fragments of pictures that then formed into a small scene of something that had happened that day. But he even was able to pass those…and straight into a wall. He felt his mind slam against something very large, and it only took him a second to realize what it was: a barrier.

Alucard opened his eyes for a moment and smiled. Integra: always prepared, always semi paranoid.

He closed his eyes and dug deeper even more, slinking around the boarders of her mind, ever present, but unnoticed by her. She stirred once, and Alucard backed off. He waited another minute and then finally breached her fortress. Phasing into the walls of her guarded mind, he watched what she was looking at, in awe.

***Dream***

The entire scenery looked something akin to a graveyard. The sad thing was that it _was_ a graveyard; one huge graveyard. The trees were burned, the bushes gone, the ground had a certain stench to it. Asphalt, he could smell, had caught fire and burned the tops of roads to a crisp. Death hung stagnant in the air, looming over corpses still fresh in the dirt where there should have been grass. Alucard focused on a group of people a few yards away; he could tell most of them were in the Council of Twelve, and he walked over, but just out of sight.

Off in the near distance, the elder vampire could see cars still on fire and houses burning to a crisp. The air was hot and dry, with no moisture left to give. The scene looked like home to Alucard; a battlefield he had partaken in too many times to count after almost six hundred years. A smile threatened his lips as he continued forward, walking in between bodies. A field of pikes blurred his vision for a moment as he saw Muslim heads impaled and traitorous politicians still groaning, alive, on their pike. Inflexible formations of ranks of soldiers stood at attention with ardent faces filled with anticipation. Their horrified faces at the sight of their decapitated peers and friends caused them to fall back and run away from a distant, familiar castle. He blinked and the spectacle faded slowly away.

Shaking the vision off, the vampire stalked in the shadow of some trees, well aware that the sun's light wouldn't hurt him, but he had to stay away from Integra. Looking down, he focused on a body he had accidentally stepped on. It had a bruised face with the skull half ripped off. What made him look twice was the fact that a bullet hole was lodged in the side of the forehead. He raised one eyebrow.

"They must have killed the remaining people who had turned into ghouls," he murmured and then scanned the landscape littered with bodies.

Surviving people didn't even have enough time to bury their dead, let alone count the living. Alucard realized that this must have been only days after he had disappeared from Hellsing. Walking forward, he found a resting place beside a boulder shielded by the branches of a tall oak tree. The group of men and Integra were huddled around what looked like a group of caskets. He watched his master closely from afar.

"Sir Hayworth, I'm so sorry," Integra gloomily looked away from the casket. She wore a tall black blouse tucked neatly into a folded black skirt with a hat and veil covering her eyes. The outfit looked familiar.

A tall scruffy man in a top hat wearing completely black gulped down. "They were my family, my life, my reason to be what I am. Are all of them gone?" he asked again, looking down at the coffins.

"They're gone," Sir Irons stated curtly, answering Sir Hayworth; but he sighed and folded his arms across.

Sir Hayworth turned to Integra with tears forming in his eyes, "Even Samantha? My baby girl? She was only sixteen…"

Integra hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder, "Yes. But you must stay strong…for them, and for Britain. She still doesn't know how many have died."

The priest had closed his book and stood at the front of the group of caskets, and he looked pressed for time as another grieving group of people were beckoning him over to them. Sir Norrington waved him off politely with an understanding smile, and the priest gave him a thankful smile back, uttering that he would return in a moment. The knight turned to Integra and leaned over.

"Sir Integra, we must head back to Hellsing Headquarters," Sir Norrington whispered in her ear.

She shot him a frustrated glance, "Look at this man. He needs closure, and if the only way to obtain that is to spend a few moments saying goodbye to his whole family, I welcome it."

Lord Ethridge, another member of the Council of Twelve, coughed and stood by his wife; she was carrying a newborn baby, crying at the tangible distress of the situation. "I realize your sentiments toward this situation, but London is still on fire. After Sir Penwood, or what was left of him, is buried, we should leave."

Sir Integra closed her eyes as Sir Irons agreed. Such behavior and callousness was inexcusable on their part. She looked back at Sir Hayworth and held back tears. He walked up to the two caskets just as they were being placed into the earth. With two hands, he gently touched the black tops of both. His face wet with tears, he knelt down on the charred grass with a suit on and kissed both caskets, sniffling occasionally and wiping his eyes to clear his vision. Placing a rue and a violet on each of their graves, he paced back and wiped his eyes once more, catching the last glimpses of his wife and daughter.

Sir Integra glanced back and clenched her fists in anger as the others watched on in sullen distaste. She walked up to Lord Ethridge, Sir Norrington, Sir Owens, and Lord Griffiths.

"I know that we are pressed for time, I know that the bodies are still piling up, and I realize that this funeral in Brookwood is rushed; but we're running out of places to bury our dead, and I will not half-ass a knight's family's funeral just because a few men here can't stomach the scene," she spat and walked back to Sir Hayworth.

They lifted their noses slightly at the insult but said nothing back. The director lightly slipped her arm into Sir Hayworth's and gave it a tug. He looked back into her crystal blue eyes painfully but began to follow. As encouragement that almost startled the others, she exchanged a rueful smile with him as they walked away from the burial site.

"At least it's over. London is still burning, but at least _this_ battle is now over," Sir Hayworth managed between sniffles.

Integra chuckled, "Yes, at least. You and I should head back to the mansion. The Queen has already asked for the Convention's presence, and it would be best to get you out of this environment."

He reluctantly agreed, though every step away was agonizing. "And at least Alucard is gone."

Sir Integra kept walking but she felt her heart stab outward. She had tried not to think of him for three days now. Alucard…

"He was our best agent, Sir Hayworth. Without him, all of London's inhabitants may have died," Sir Integra argued, compelled to defend her absent servant.

Both flinched as they heard echoes of gunshots in the distance. Sir Penwood, or what was left of him after the C-4 had destroyed most of the body, had been buried. Shots were fired, and then deafening silence once more, with only the trees swaying as witnesses. They stepped over bodies and to a car, unaware of a figure that was quietly following the whole time. As the director opened her car door and hopped into the driver's seat, she rolled up the window quickly to conceal her face. Alucard focused on her and saw a single tear form and fall down her cheek.

Alucard sighed and glanced passed the gates of the cemetery. He saw buildings that were still aflame, cars too, and dead bodies with blood running through the streets like it was the French Revolution. He could almost smell that carnage, and the deflated blimps of the Nazi Zeppelins that careened into city parks; but it was a dream, and everything felt duller around the edges. Looking back within the cemetery, he saw a swastika flag hanging, torn, on the edge of a gate. Striding over, Alucard ripped the rest down with his hand and retracted from his master's mind. He'd seen enough.

***End of Dream***

The servant opened his eyes and inhaled. He felt as though his energy levels had been replenished, even though it was Integra's dream, and stood up. Seras still slept soundly, though she occasionally kicked out at something in a dream of her own. He lightly snorted and set the wire-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose to rest comfortably.

He grinned as he felt Integra stir. His beloved master was finally waking, and what an ear-full did he have to tell her.

* * *

><p>Albert faithfully stood in front of his master with Ceylon tea, her favorite flavor. She sat up in her queen size bed and folded the covers neatly as best she could. Taking one cup and drinking the hot liquid, she felt her chest relax. Clearing her throat, she turned carefully to her servant and loyal butler.<p>

"Albert, how are you this morning?" she asked.

"I'm very well. And yourself, Sir?" he poured her more tea and sat down, setting the tray on her nightstand.

"Well," but she was eyeing him, already suspicious that he wanted to say something.

"Very good, my master. The suits for SAS are coming along nicely, and they should be prepared in time for when our team returns to Hellsing," Albert informed.

She smiled groggily and lowered her chin, "You wish to tell me something." Albert smiled and lowered his head, ashamed that he'd been so easily read.

"I do," he nodded once, "I've been in contact with most of the major police bases in London, and they've been reporting to me that vampire strikes are becoming more frequent. This is somewhat a disconcerting fact, especially since they are more commonplace in daylight as of late. They wish to know if you will lend a hand in the matter…"

Sir Integra swallowed another gulp of tea and inhaled the rich scent. "I had already informed all of them that my SAS team was deployed to Southeast Asia on a search and rescue mission."

"Of course, it's just that vampire attacks are on the rise…" Albert trailed off, looking downward.

"Indeed, and when they arrive back, I shall continue using them against vampires here. Unfortunately, a Convention member believes that the kidnapping of his daughter is more important to investigate than killing the vampire infestation," she stood up and motioned for both to head to her working den.

Albert nodded once more, unsure if she was sarcastic or respectful in her tone. He stood up as well and brought the tray back between his arms. He glanced down at the polished silver and noticed a spot of grime. He rubbed at it until his finger ached as he followed her into an even larger room, decorated with tall drapes, tapestries, and polished wood with elaborate carvings into handles and sides.

"Have you heard any news of Colonel Voss and the team?" the butler gently pried, pausing at the entry door.

"None, but I'm expecting a call soon," she answered back, making it to her desk and pulling out some filed papers.

Her morning routine had started even before she had appropriate clothes on for the job, before she had breakfast. But that was usually given to her when she had already started to work anyway. It lifted her spirits to know that Albert always mixed the food up. It was a delicately nice surprise she awoke to every morning. With a gracious bow, Albert returned to his own chores and promised to have her first meal prepared soon.

The tall windows of her working room drizzled softlywith rain, pattering the sides of the glass. She suddenly saw a mirrored reflection of a tall, dark figure behind her sitting in a chair opposite hers. Integra turned around and found Alucard comfortably nestled into a cushioned chair with his leg crossed over lazily.

"I was going to say something, but then I remembered that you always seem to know when I arrive," Alucard rested his lengthy arm on the armrest and put his chin in the palm of his hand.

Integra suppressed a groan as he smiled, looking over her black pajamas. The outfit didn't flatter anything, but she could still tell that he was hopeful.

"Well? Your report?" Integra sounded serious.

He shifted his weight, "Yes. Seras got a message from Albert around 10:00PM last night about two vampires and an army of ghouls in Cheddar Village. She took her Harkonnen and set off for the village, but not before I sensed that Section XIII had sent an agent."

"You could tell this just by sensing?" Integra frowned.

"No, but I could sense it through Seras's mental connection to me as she became more and more suspicious. Once she saw Heinkel, I knew I should leave to help," Alucard stated.

"You? On your own will? _Help_?" Integra grinned, "That's _hardly_ what I'd expect from you."

Alucard scoffed and watched her sit down opposite him in her huge chair. "I can't let her have _all_ the fun with Iscariot. Besides, I did nothing but watch. It is not in my nature to intervene once a battle between my fledgling and someone else has occurred. It was her battle to fight."

"Ah, I _see_," Integra stated a little too sincerely and pulled out a cigar with a lighter.

The elder vampire watched in fascination as she lit the Cuban cigar and took in a long breath. "I thought those would have killed you by now, master."

She chuckled, "There's something of the English rose and something of the ice-queen in me."

It was Alucard's turn to grin as he nodded slowly, never taking his eyes away from hers.

"Your report, vampire?" the Hellsing Director asked a second time. She wanted no more context, but actual facts now.

Alucard exhaled. "Yes. The report…or lack thereof. Both vampires killed themselves before Seras was able to drain them to obtain the information needed."

Integra let her face fall into a comfortable frown, "Oh?"

"Mhmm. The only feeling I have is that whatever they were hiding mustn't have been of much value."

"And why's that, servant?" she asked, inhaling another whiff.

"I was actually able to absorb some of the blood. On my way here, I felt Seras's distress as the girl vampire began to commit suicide, and I was able to draw some blood out of her before she turned into dust. You see, I can be _everywhere_ and _nowhere_."

"You're saying that within Seras's fight with the other vampire woman, you were able to siphon a few droplets of her blood? As what, mist?" Integra tapped her cigar.

"Precisely. It's hard to explain, but I was able to, without biting, form inside of the woman much like how Schrödinger was able to do when he communicated to people. It only seems to work with vampires though."

"Interesting."

"More to the point, I was able to taste enough to know that they were just vampires, and nothing more. They had no secret to bear, they had no importance, no information of any kind whatsoever," Alucard leaned forward slightly, taking his glasses off.

"No information? No importance? Just…just pawns, then…" Integra paused.

Alucard straightened in his seat, "I know what you're thinking, but we wiped out the Nazis thirty years ago. It isn't them."

"And how do you know that?" the director questioned.

Alucard paused and sat back in his seat. "The man said that because Seras had killed his mate, he had no reason to live. The Nazis had compliant, mindless vampires with no particular conscience of their own, and certainly not love. Having a vampire who loved his mate enough to kill himself when she died…it doesn't seem like they came from Nazi manufacturing factories."

"Go on," Integra crossed her legs and inhaled another whiff.

"Another thing: they did not burn when their mission failed. No superior officer pushed a button and had their entire bodies burst into flame. Perhaps their M.O. changed. Perhaps not, and we're looking at something different."

Integra shifted in her chair and nodded once, "I see your point. It would be wise not to make snap assumptions on who we're dealing with. Did he mention anything at all?"

Alucard paused and smiled, "Nothing. Whatever they did know, it wasn't much. I would have absorbed it. All I tasted in the woman was that they came from Ireland and..."

"And what?" Integra pursued.

"And had killed a Section XIII agent," Alucard replied.

"Section XIII, eh? How was Heinkel's reaction to you being alive still?" she let out a smile.

"They fled before they could see me. I knew Heinkel felt my presence, though. The young one, Mark, was not trained enough."

"Hmm," she drew in another breath.

"Everything aside: the vampires were bluffing. They misled us into thinking that there was more they knew, when, in reality, they knew nothing," Alucard placed his glasses atop his nose.

"Indeed. Are you sure of this?" Integra lowered her gaze, showing her own glasses slip down the bridge of her nose.

"As sure as I am of it being presently day," Alucard stood up, topping his head with a floppy fedora hat.

Integra's head rose as she watched him. "Then I agree. I shall report this…incident. And sadly, I hope that another instance of some sort occurs so we can obtain more information than just knowing that something may be out there. You may go and rest now."

Alucard bowed graciously and stepped out to walk back to his lair.

"And Alucard?" Integra called. He turned around. "You did well. I expected you to follow Seras, sire that you are. Of _course_ that was the reason -curiosity," she grinned.

Alucard narrowed his eyes but smiled, "You were aware that I left to go and see the carnage for myself?"

The Hellsing Director shrugged and rolled her eyes, "A little bird may have come in and updated me on a vampire suddenly disappearing from his coffin in search of how his fledgling was doing…"

"...Albert," Alucard shook his head and phased out of the room before Integra could object.

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><p>Lord Ethridge took in slow breaths and sat down. It had been a couple of days since the ransom call, and even though Integra's soldiers headed to Cambodia to save his girl from the mercenaries, he still felt a horrible sensation forming at the pit of his stomach. A ringing phone on his desk caused him to jump; but he ran for it, his imagination running wild. His shaking hands picked it up and brought it carefully to his ear, remembering to control his voice first.<p>

"This is Lord Ethridge speaking," he muttered.

"We are here to inform you that the organization had nothing to do with this unfortunate occurrence," the mechanical voice stated from the phone.

"You call my daughter's kidnapping an 'unfortunate occurrence'?" Lord Ethridge exclaimed.

"We did not anticipate the mercenaries turning against us. It was planned that your daughter move to The Sheet safely," it answered.

"Look, you promised that Charlotte would be taken from Cambodia to The Sheet, not that they would think up to gain more money on the side! How did they find out that she was the daughter of a lord?" Lord Ethridge demanded.

"It is unclear as to how they obtained that specific information. The E.O.H. is here to inform you that any irrational action you may take against it will be returned with immediate termination of our contract with you," the voice warned.

"Are you threatening me? I have been a part of this since twenty years ago. I won't back down from the plan," Lord Ethridge reminded the voice.

"Of course," the voice replied, "it was just a reminder."

"What of Charlotte? Do you bring me any news of her?" he asked.

"Since you made Integra deploy her SAS team to Cambodia, we cannot get involved. Your actions to obtain your daughter have put the E.O.H.'s existence into jeopardy, should it intervene now."

Lord Ethridge rubbed the back of his neck and turned to look out of his window. The wind had picked up and rain splashed the sides of his windows. He sighed, already regretting the act somewhat. But was it so wrong to get back his daughter? He had to see her smiling face again, he had to see her safe at his home. He was so sorry to have put her in the middle of this, and promised himself never to plan anything so dangerous for her again. The lord just wanted his daughter to be safe for what was to come.

"I apologize to everyone. This inconvenience will not happen again," he shook his head at the rain and returned to his desk.

"We shall speak again." It hung up.

The lord sat down and hung up the phone. Exhaling his angst, he relaxed into the chair, if only for a moment. He shuddered as the room suddenly felt ten degrees colder. Looking around, nothing was there, and he walked to his fireplace, lighting it with a match. He had to find his daughter, and was waiting for another ransom call for a pickup. The mercenaries only spoke to him that Charlotte was in their hands and that they demanded 15 million pounds.

Lord Ethridge groaned at the memory. Not only did he blow all of his cash on hiring them, planning it with the E.O.H., he had no excuse or anything to trade, other than his estate; and cheating Cambodian mercenaries would hardly find that acceptable. That was when he asked SAS to retrieve his daughter, explaining that it was a kidnapping instead of a deal gone wrong. He could never say the truth. _Never_.

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><p>And the plot thickens...<p>

When I said 'nothing was there' I mean nothing was there. So don't think that there was a vampire there or anything. He just got chilled b/c he's so scared.

Oh, one more thing: The next chapter will have Albert in it (as you can imagine). (I'm 80% sure...) But I won't spoil everything that I'm going to have him do :) He would rather suprise you with his inventions, now wouldn't he?

To **Animefan111**: The battle scene was certainly tricky! I asked my brother what the trick was and he said that 'you must change the scenery in order to keep a reader interested'. And then it hit me. hahahahaha Thank you for mentioning it! It was harder to write than it looked. I do love a good battle scene too. Heinkel totally had to deny it. She can't handle the truth! :P They're in for a lot of trouble when I get back to them! I'm itching to see what you have to say about Integra's scene with Alucard. Humorous? :D

To **Trinnerti**: Good guess! The weapon is actually Yumie's samurai sword that she used when she and Heinkel were partners. Anderson just had bayonets. I was glad that Alucard didn't get mad at her. Originally in my writing, he did, but then I thought that, in the book, he may not have. I mean, he never did reprimand her. He only yelled at her that one time when she tried to cross him in South America. So I thought that Alucard would just have said, "Well, it's good practice, and it was your fight, not mine." Idk if that makes sense lol. Her fight, her problem.

To **xXMsBlackCatXx**: Thank you for sending me a response. It probably didn't feel complete b/c I hadn't added this chapter yet...but then, im not entirely sure...And thank you for the encuragement! I'm glad that there are more people who like the characters. Having support is always helpful, especially if people who read it think that the plot is going at a fine pace. I sometimes worry if I go off track. So far so good. I hope you keep reading and continue to enjoy as the plot thickens* hahaha

To **Black Diamond07**: Hahaha! Thank you! I need more readers to just say that to me. I'm glad you like it so much! Probably liked Albert's nerdiness and gun savvy explanations. I love him. Keep reading, and maybe it will exceed your expectations. It's going to get better, meaning it's going to get worse for them!  
>muhahahaha<p> 


	8. Gratuitous Gifts

**A/N:** Let me present my distractions over the past week just so you all don't hate me: AP Tests (now finished), Senior Ditch Day, Prom, Choir Concert, and a random Midterm.

Now: the moment most of you have been waiting for: MORE ALBERT! Hahaha! I missed him too, guys. Now he's back, and up to his crazy nonsense more than ever. I never try to disappoint you wonderful reviewers! Part of the reason why I especially love Albert is because his character forces me to look up and research things I never would have imagined interesting…until now. Thank you science nerds :-*

And don't worry; I'll explain what the suits look like when SAS get here to see them. I just want your imagination to run free for a while longer.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

Albert is the one meant to have a gift…just so the title makes more sense…

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><p>Gratuitous Gifts<p>

Albert hunched over a hunk of metal on the large table, sipping out the contents of his tea. The room was dimly lit by the same broken bulb, but he had no time for replacing it. Science was always more important than irrelevant tasks, no matter how little time they would take to fix. Glancing at the clock, he almost huffed in surprise. It was already 3:00PM? It had felt like he'd given Integra her lunch only minutes ago. But then a smile spread across his face as he remembered how having fun always made the day fly by.

He sighed, turning back around with his squeaky rolling chair to face the daunting task of finishing the SAS suits. It had taken him months just to make three, and countless hours of devotion. He never bothered to tell his master that he'd also been pulling all-nighters for the past few days. It was on and off, and he always made sure that his brain had ample time for REM rebound. Albert knew Integra would object and possibly force him to take a few days away from his inventions. To him, that was close to death…figuratively speaking.

The butler took one last swig of tea, ignoring the gnawing grumble in his stomach, and continued onward. He placed the cup gently on top of another, smaller coffee table and then grabbed a set of welding gloves from a drawer. He then fit a welding helmet over his face and adjusted it to his size. The sparks would not be considerable enough to truly burn his outfit, but he wore a protective chest plate, just in case. Finally, he reached for the electrode and put the box atop the tall metal table. The suit was dangling vertically from chains that were attached to the roof of the room and Albert looked on with pride.

"Now, just a few touch ups and you'll be perrrrfect," he murmured to the suit, lighting the arc welding torch with a grin.

His smile only widened as the electronic LCD shutter dimed the lenses forming the window he was able to see out of. Auto-darkening welding helmets saved him the trouble of preparing for the highly-concentrated ultraviolet and infrared rays emitted by the welding arc. Now, the helmet corrected itself, darkening the lenses at the sensitive presence of the retina-burning light.

Albert walked forward and lightly held the flame to the arm of the suit, but never touching. Fiery, red-hot sparks exploded outward and hits the ground of the room. The polarized window of Albert's mask reflected back the sparks in a mirror of light and fire. He grinned even more under the helmet as he fused another piece of metal to the forearm of the huge suit. The final touches were being made when Albert's stomach growled once more at him. He paused and turned off the welder, opening his helmet and sighing.

"I suppose I could eat something," he grumbled and placed the machine on top of the metal table.

He watched the torch die out and cease as he walked up to a miniature refrigerator in the corner of the dimly lit room. His eyes had adjusted quite well over the years of his stay. He'd only been Hellsing butler for three years, but had lived in the mansion as gatekeeper for close to ten years prior. Albert could still see the evident hesitation and reluctance of Sir Integra when she appointed him butler of the mansion. He could tell she saw Walter in him, and he desperately tried to prove her wrong. Driven by some internal force, the new butler tried, with all of his might, to prove his place in Hellsing; that he would be far from a coward, and a traitor. Yet, sometimes, he knew Integra saw an old friend in Albert; a shadow; a ghost of the past.

Albert shook himself; he was alike and unlike Walter. Being a mere shadow of the old man's presence did not quite suffice for the young man, and he forever tried to excel and surpass any expectations placed upon him. Albert opened a sandwich from a thin saran wrap plastic sheet and bit down, but not before tucking a napkin into his collar. His mouth began to water as he swallowed. Yet the room fell quiet…too quiet. The butler turned the dial of an old radio, hearing static and mumbled voices crack. He tuned it to one station and listened to the classical music.

he closed his eyes and murmured, "I know you're here, Alucard."

A deep voice chuckled as the vampire turned a corner and revealed himself from the depths of darkness. A grin was comfortably fitting on his face.

"I'd always knew you to be a scientist, but a mechanic as well?" Alucard raised an eyebrow.

Albert straightened in his sitting position, "Indeed, I am a mechanic too. What is your purpose for entering my lair?"

Alucard scoffed at the rude and abrasively direct sentence. Whatever happened to indirect politeness and gentle implications? The vampire strolled forward along the floor, his footfalls never heard.

"Curiosity…you realize I used to spend time in the armory. More years than you've been alive," his eyes danced to Albert's.

The young servant smiled and swallowed the last bits of a turkey sandwich. He wiped his hands on the napkin and tossed the rest in the trash bin. "Of course, and I'm sure you have killed more people, and fired more bullets than anyone on this property. This all comes with age and especially with the hundreds of years you've experienced." His eyes narrowed.

Alucard nodded and strolled over to the massive hunk of metal just welded. "This the suit?"

Albert's eyes flashed nervously for a moment, "Yes, it is. I've just finished with it and prepare on displaying it to Sir Integra and SAS. It is my finest work; it took me _months_ to finish."

Alucard paused in front of it and looked it over. The helmet was huge, its body clunky, and the hydraulics visible along with the pistons needed to bend as the joints. The vampire lifted a hand and flicked at the chest of the suit. The metal groaned and flew across the room from its poll to careen into another wall. Boxes caved in, glass cracked and shattered, and dust puffed out from the fall as Alucard stood, grinning at the result. Albert howled in agony. The butler sprinted for his work and gingerly touched the chest, arms, and legs of the metal. A scratch had formed on the side of the right leg.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU, VAMPIRE?" Albert shouted, falling to his knees and cradling the helmet.

Alucard sighed, "Yes, yes this invention is worth investing in. I underestimated your capabilities, Albert. My apologies, I thought your mind was smaller than this," he motioned to the suit, "Not in all my years have I ever seen such a machine with the ability to withstand a vampire attack."

Albert exhaled in exasperation, "I don't want your apology for underestimating me. I want your apology for almost destroying one of three of these magnificent pieces of machinery!"

The vampire only waved his hand, "Really. You wish to rush me? One mea culpa at a time, dear boy."

Albert's face turned deep red as he struggled to raise the body armor. His nerves felt like they were on fire, but adrenaline helped the last bit of a struggle. The young servant hoisted it back onto the hooks it was thrown from; and from there, he was able to slide the suit back across the poll to the other three. He took one long, deep breath and turned to face the vampire.

But Alucard's face was already in another dimension. As if he was having a reverie, the elder's eyes glazed over slightly and looked on into the distance with a hypnotic trance of their own. Albert peered on curiously, wondering what the man was thinking.

"Lost…in a memory," Albert whispered to the side.

Alucard's gaze traveled to the metal table and then to a metal box that held his first Jackal. A vision of a man handing him the gun appeared. The old, wrinkled smile, the one spectacle that rested in between the folds of his eyelids and bags, the thin lips but tall stature with proud shoulders holding the frame of a seasoned warrior, all adorned Alucard's face.

"It's perfect, Walter. My _utmost_ thanks," Alucard murmured as the vision vanished before his eyes.

"Like it was yesterday for you…wasn't it?" Albert turned to the side and eyed the vampire.

Alucard blinked, "What?"

"The war. The Nazis. Operation Sea Lion 2. As if it was yesterday. To your mind, you just saw Walter," Albert muttered.

"Hmm," Alucard smiled, "It _was_ just like yesterday. But the past does not concern me anymore. It never has. It's never caught up with me. Only once: when van Helsing defeated me."

"The past may not concern you, but the future certainly does. Who else will succeed in helping us kill all the new vampires rising up against humans?" Albert asked rhetorically.

"My servant," Alucard answered bluntly.

Albert's cheeks suddenly felt warm, "Ah, y-yes. I meant besides h-her…"

"Speaking of my servant, is it really your need to know where I am every minute of the night?" Alucard asked.

"Beg pardon?" Albert frowned.

"Must you know where I am during the night? Must you inform Integra of every move I make? Must you annoy me like a constant gnat getting in my way of achieving success?" Alucard rephrased.

The butler's body stiffened, preparing for the worst, "I was merely performing my rightful duty as servant to the director. She did not think she had to order you to rest; but such as it was, you left and I had to tell her something in the event of something drastic happening…or worse: you not returning."

Alucard's eyes glittered with malevolent intent. He could never get such a rise out of Walter. This little play toy of a butler was far more entertaining.

"Clearly out of _compassion_, I see now," sarcasm dripped like acid from the vampire's lips.

Albert squared his shoulders and stood his ground. His own eyes tried to hide the aggression creeping forward inside of his mind and body. Knowing the vampire could easily take off his arm before Albert could retaliate, he still didn't back down.

Alucard turned slightly to the side and smiled deviously. "You politeness certainly takes after your grand-uncle."

Albert's eyes widened, "You know that-"

Alucard's eyes softened as the young servant's face fell and a look of ashamed guilt entered his features.

"As already stated, Albert, the past concerns neither me…nor _you_. Cease correcting the wrongs of your family's past. The sins of our fathers before us do not bleed into their sons' lives like some Greek tragedy," the vampire vanished into the air.

Albert sat down at those words, drinking in their meaning. He couldn't consider the possibility of that sentence being a complement, but perhaps "words to live by"…perhaps guidance. He let his back relax into the chair as his ears picked up soft classical music once more. Albert felt that he was alone again, and smiled. For once, he didn't come away with a deep, gnawing hatred of that vampire. There was method to his madness, and that was where Albert could meet him halfway; after all, most other people couldn't even understand Albert. The young butler somehow knew, in that moment, Alucard understood…everything…

* * *

><p>Sir Integra finished the last bits of her dinner and habitually wiped her hands on the neatly folded napkin placed on her lap. The phone on Integra's desk no sooner rang as she glanced down. Ignoring it for a moment longer to sign one last paper on her mountainous stack, she picked it up and inhaled. This was the fifth phone call in ten minutes, and this would set the record for angry Convention members.<p>

"This is Hellsing Director speaking," Sir Integra pushed a button, turning the conversation to speaker.

"Sir," and older, deeper, and somewhat raspy voice stated, "It is Colonel Voss speaking."

"Ah, yes. I've been awaiting your call. Bring me up to date. How did your mission go?" she asked as she continued paper signing.

There was a pause where she could hear the engines of a plane, most likely a jet. He coughed and cleared his throat.

"Well, Sir, we failed."

The director stopped writing and looked up. Integra's eyes twitched and her hand clenched on the pen.

"But allow me to explain," The deep voice demanded more than pled, already sensing Integra's displeasure, "My men got to Cambodia on time. We tracked the Cambodia mercenaries down to a small village called Osdoa."

"And what happened in Osdoa?" she pressed on, looking at the clock. 6:45PM.

"My men scouted out until we found a small shed as big as our armory," the voice paused, "The girl had been dropping things behind for us. Keys, rings, money, gum. Anything along the way that we would catch in the pursuit of finding her," the Colonel's voice audibly faltered.

Integra paused in her questioning. She knew what came next, and allowed Voss to swallow his failure. Nothing was worse to his team than failing a mission. So spotless was their reputation that it rubbed salt in the wound even more to acknowledge this defeat. The colonel cleared his throat again and sighed.

"My men and I cornered the mercenaries in the shed and wiped them out. We even machine-gunned them down, threw grenades, and lit the entire place on fire after we found the girl."

Integra's eyebrows rose and she took a sip from her tea, "And what of the girl, Charlotte? Did you…?"

Colonel Voss grunted. "Yeah, we found her body. But only after the leader told us where she was."

"How did you extract that information? I doubt he told you..."

"We connected his testicles to the car engine and electrocuted him until he told us where she was," Voss's voice held a hint of amusement in the method.

Integra rolled her eyes, "That technique must have worked, indeed."

"She…she was already dead when we arrived. We found her body in the stream face down. She was shot through one of the eye sockets…" Voss's voice softened once more, "The damn bastards…we didn't get there in time, sir. It was my fault."

"That would be incorrect," Integra shook her head, "Through no fault of your own did this happen. You understand?"

There was a pause on the other line, but Voss sighed. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"This is a matter that is now in my hands. You've done your duty well. Let me handle the rest, soldier. You're not a diplomat," Integra scoffed.

"Thank God," Voss chuckled, "Her body is being transported with us for Lord Ethridges purposes. The team will be back I expect in three hours or so."

Integra smiled. "I look forward to seeing you then, soldier. Keep me informed of your landing."

"Yes Sir!" Voss then hung up.

The Hellsing director inhaled a deep breath and then pulled on the right drawer. A Cuban cigar filled the space between her fingers as she brought it to the desk and lit it. She inhaled once more, feeling relieved by the warm, burning sensation inside of her lungs. The woman then let out the smoke in rings, trying to sink in what exactly she had to do next. But then, Integra realized that she didn't have to do it alone.

"Alucard," she murmured.

The vampire appeared before she even finished his name. An amused expression decorated his face. "Wishing and wanting company, my dearest master?"

"Indeed I am in need of a vampire who can possibly deal with a very distraught man...once father to a lovely daughter," Integra somberly nodded.

"Lord Ethridge, I presume," Alucard murmured.

"Yes. His daughter has been killed. It is now confirmed."

Alucard extended his hand, "Then shall we?" he purred.

She closed her eyes and swallowed. "And so we shall."

* * *

><p>~Next chapter is going to be VERY intense. I give you another clue as to who you're dealing with. I will 'try to make light of it' as the Manga does, but so you know, this will be just as dark as the rest of the Hellsing stories. Humor will be a delicacy, though I'll try to make its presence more than sparce~<p>

Next chapter SAS FINALLY arrives on the scene and they get to test-drive their suits :D

Sorry, but I literally have no time for comments. I love everyone who loves Albert, and anyone else who has commented thus far! I'll comment next chapter for those of you wishing to speak with me! Promise!


	9. False Hope

**A/N:** How's everyone been doing? It's been too long! Well, and so I finish this chapter with a pack of ice strapped to my head, thanks to a fever. Determination ftw :) I was completely stuck chronologically, and for a moment, lost all hope. But then I found a way. I had a few things I wanted to mention all at once, but then decided that I had to rearrange some scenes to make it flow better. I hope the wait wasn't terribly long :)

There will be scene changes like there were in the Manga more often now, shifting from one group to the next.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>False Hope<p>

Seras woke up with a start and hit her head on the bottom side of her coffin. Rubbing her temples, she tried to recall what she was dreaming; but the memory would not resurface. She cursed and lifted the lid. Her eyes immediately adjusted to the moonlight and noticed a familiar figure in the corner of the room. He was wearing his usual attire but his face was adorned with solemn features. Seras stood up without hesitation and walked over to her master.

"Is there something wrong?" Seras asked once she stood in front of him.

Alucard's eyes contently watched hers, but they did not waver or move in the slightest. "No. Integra and I are going to inform Lord Ethridge of his daughter's murder. We will be back," he walked forward, swiftly passed her.

"Master?" Seras turned around to face him again. He paused but as he turned around, his fedora nearly covered up his entire face, concealing his eyes from her.

"Yes?" he asked with slight impatience.

"Can I come with you?" she looked at the shadows where his eyes should be.

A small smile crept along his lips, though his jaw tightened. "I believe not. Integra wants at least one of us to stay behind in the event of something happening here while she is gone. She asked me to accompany her to Lord Ethridge's manor. I will be back," he added, as if to seal her worried voice with a promise.

Seras nodded and felt herself floating back to her coffin, watching the moon rise with a few scattered clouds. "I can handle it here."

"Oh, one more thing: SAS is apparently coming back and should be here shortly. Tonight, we expect."

Seras's eyes lit up with joy, "Oh good! I've missed Colonel Voss! The team is coming back, thank goodness."

"Don't get your hopes up. They failed Integra, and she's not happy with the result," Alucard warned.

"They're my friends. The fact that they came back alive is more than enough for me to be happy," Seras countered.

Alucard smiled, "Still always seeing the positive when the situation sees nothing but failure."

Seras lifted her chin, "Rightfully so. It puts a smile on faces and gets us through the day," she looked over Alucard's grin triumphantly.

His smile fell defiantly, but a moment later she was laughing at his attempt at proving her wrong.

"I guess you'll learn someday," he muttered and turned back around to leave.

"Learn what, master?" he heard her speak.

Without turning, and continuing to walk toward the door, he murmured, "That smiling in the face of failure shows denying the reality."

She felt a gust of wind and then he was gone along with his smile that seemed to gently fade. The young Draculina inhaled a deep breath and decided to prepare for the night. Secretly, she waited until she felt his whole presence was gone before she came with a retort.

"Or that I'm making light of it," she whispered, "Something I learned from _you_; that's how you've survived all these years, isn't it, my dear master?"

Seras bit at her lip, knowing she'd never get a reply. Her hands found their way to her uniform and she moved to the bathroom on the upper levels to change and fix herself up for the night. What she didn't notice were a pair of red eyes in the corner that softly glowed as she left the room; their aura emanating satisfaction and pride. They almost seemed to smile on their own, though a low chuckle faded with the eyes as well.

* * *

><p>Alucard phased through another wall until he met the exterior walls of the garage. Integra was leaning against the car with a cigar in hand. The director then strapped a pistol to her hips with a belt, out of habit, and watched Alucard smile.<p>

"I was hoping you would arrive sometime before my first cigar wore out," she chided but opened the car door and plopped into the driver's seat.

"Are we expecting bad company?" he grinned.

"No, but under the circumstances of my failure, he could come after me," Integra stated with little infliction in her voice.

Alucard phased through the door and sat in the passenger's seat, admiring the new technology within the interior of the car. Integra hastily punched in the address of the Lord's house and watched it pop up on the windshield as a screen. The visual map started at Hellsing, then, with a blue arrow, showed the pathways to get to Lord Ethridge's place. A button on the dashboard lit up saying "correct" while another one lit up saying "incorrect". Integra pressed the green "correct" button and felt the car start its engine. Alucard smiled at the efficiency and how it rolled out of the garage with ultimate precision. Integra pressed the manual button, took hold of the wheel, and revved the engine, feeling the car jump from underneath her.

Light posts and buildings flashed by as the car stealthily drove in between the nearly empty surface streets. With a quick glance, Alucard felt his master mentally preparing for the crushing news she had to deliver. After so much time and so many years that herdened her, she still felt the gnawing guilt of not arriving to save Charlotte sooner. Yet she knew that it was not entirely her fault, just as it wasn't Voss's fault either. The feeling remained, despite her logic and reasoning.

Once the car was cruising on the freeway, Alucard cleared his throat to speak. "The SAS Team failed to save a Convention member's daughter?"

Integra's mouth clenched, but her face remained indifferent. "Yes."

Alucard shifted to rest his head comfortably against the seat, "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you thought these events didn't quite add up…"

Integra glanced at him and grinned, "You can still read me well…after all these years."

Alucard mirrored her grin, "After all these years, you haven't changed one bit."

Integra looked back on the road but sighed. "What doesn't seem to make sense to me is the fact that Lord Ethridge didn't report this until after he received his first ransom call. He kept all of us in the dark, as if he didn't want our help…at least at first."

"Well," Alucard gazed out lovingly at the moon, "He might have thought he could handle the situation without making a downright bloody mess like what your team made."

"I might have thought that too; but when I sent my team away on a plane to Cambodia, I couldn't help noticing the dread within him deepening. He felt no comfort whatsoever in my helping him. It almost looked as if I would make the situation worse by having my presence anywhere near his daughter."

"…As if something originally planned had gone terribly wrong," Alucard murmured looking her features over. Integra glanced back at him, her frown increasing with each passing freeway light.

"Now we're just making judgments on baseless assumptions," her authoritative tone returned, but he could feel the doubt in those words.

"We will see, my master," Alucard nodded, agreeing and setting his gaze once more at the moon.

Another moment passed where the two were lost in thought. However, Integra remembered something that she had forgotten, something she had to do. The director cleared her throat, and waited until she knew Alucard's attention was focused back on her.

"Tell me, Alucard, are you ever curious to know what has happened over the past thirty years you were away?" she asked, her eyes still contently on the road.

"As far as I'm concerned, the world is still the same as it's ever been. If anything, I should think that the situation with vampires and humans has gotten progressively worse since the global population discovered the vampire's existence."

"But what of the humans? What of humanity's advancements in technology? And what about Britain's recovery?" Integra asked, fingering for another cigar in her glove compartment.

"Yes. I suppose humanity continues to advance forward," Alucard removed his glasses, "They continue to improve, aspire, and grow."

"Indeed," Integra nodded, "But we had to bury all of our dead within a few crowded cemeteries available. Nearly every family in Britain was either dead or dying. Half of London's population died and was consumed by you. Instead of seeing bodies littering the streets, we saw emptiness. The only dead for miles were the shot ghouls. The Convention of Twelve and the Royal family spent months and months trying to figure out who was dead. Can you imagine what we had to tell the other half of London what happened? And what we had to tell Scotland and Ireland?" Integra turned to Alucard.

"'Through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with Hellsing or the Crown, you're family is dead?'" Alucard guessed, slight amusement shaping his voice.*

"We said nothing. Absolutely nothing. Eventually the Queen decided to hire scientists to say that a retrovirus hit Britain and The United States. But that lasted for only a few years. The theme 'terrorist attack' seemed more viable, with bioweapons of course. But again, that only lasted for so long as well," she paused.

"I understand. Her Majesty was in no shape, nor was the nation, to blame a country for a nonexistent terrorist attack and nonexistent bioweapons."

"We didn't even try to blame Germany. They were attacked as well and had been leached on for years without us even knowing. How do you think the Major obtained so many manufactured soldiers? Not all of them were from World War II. He'd been manufacturing them for years, though some of his newer recruits were from South America," Integra clenched her fists and bit down on her cigar, stirred with renewed hatred at the memory of the man.

Alucard felt it rise within her, and grinned. "How did she recover?"

Integra blinked and grunted, "How did Britain _recover_…let's say that she never fully did. It took her five years to get a reliable police force to govern the streets, it took her ten years before schools were more than half full with children, and it took her twenty years before the chaos between human and vampire settled down even remotely."

"And how many years before the world discovered vampires truly existed?" he asked, curious.

Integra continued down the hallway, this time looking directly at her servant. "Around three. The Queen was heartbroken at lying to her citizens, but at the cost of their safety. Vampire killings and murders plummeted after you left. None of them fed for quite some time after Report 17, as it was called. That is why the monarchy was able to keep the vampire a secret for a while longer," Integra's eyes grew colder, "But there were those who persisted, those who wanted answers, not just explanations that couldn't add up. There were those who continued to badger and find evidence that there was no retrovirus, that whatever the Queen said could be factually incorrect."

"Hmm, _damn_ the people who demand for the truth," Alucard's lip curled upward.

His master straightened her shoulders. "Damn them, indeed. And damned they are. Once the Queen told her people the truth, against the Convention's wishes, chaos erupted once more…anew. Vampires were stunned that they would actually be unveiled and exposed to the global public."

"And the war with vampires? Who is winning?" Alucard wondered.

"No one is certain, but ever since Thanatos was created…" Integra's voice died out as she felt the car automatically slow down. The exit was coming up.

"Thanatos?" Alucard's eyes brightened, "I recognize that name to be the Greek demon of death."

"How right you are, my servant," Integra grinned, "But this Thanatos is the one and only Protonic Fission Cannon set up like a satellite in space."

Alucard's voice rose slightly, "Magnificent."

"It also has a cyclotron with free protons circling within it. Think of the cyclotron as a hollow donut shape. The protons within it are accelerated to 95% the speed of light. They are then focused into a magnetic funnel and projected to the surface of the earth as a beam once it is right above its target. These protons are able to tear the atoms of any living species apart within milliseconds, destroying anything and everything inside its radius," Integra stated.

"Deadly precision," Alucard murmured.

"Within two American football fields. That's how deadly. Everything within it is reduced to its constituent gluons and corks. It is our only particle project weapon that the humans have in their grasp. It is in orbit around the earth as we speak," Integra simultaneously looked out of her window and at the sky, pulling the car off of the freeway and to the off ramp.

"How was it paid for?" her servant murmured.

"It was funded by many people, Crown and Convention included. It was originally Sir Hayworth's idea, and everyone seemed to like the idea more and more as the fight grew worse," she answered.

"Have humans ever used it?" her servant placed his glasses back on.

There was a pause, as if Integra was reliving another horrid memory, "Only once. We've never used it again. It was officially operational ten years ago. That was when vampires were really beginning to wipe out humans consistently. A clan of vampires had their headquarters in Maine, a state in The United States. Their objective was to wipe out all political leaders in America and then move onto Britain. Their ultimate goal was to bring vampires into power, political power. Fortunately for us, Seras got a lead and led us to Maine. A few months later, we found the clan's base and annihilated it with Thanatos. Vampires, since then, have not collectively risen up against humans. The random do killings remain."

Alucard felt the car roll to a stop, and he looked outside to a darkened mansion. Only one light was on; Alucard imagined that it came from the study. Securing his fedora atop his mass of black hair, he opened the car door and appeared in front of Integra's door. He easily opened her door and watched the director slip out of her seat, locking the car as she continued forward in one fluid motion, cigar in hand. Her servant was next to her in seconds and drank in the night air.

Trees flanked the massive house, and a stair of steps led them to a row of bushes that guided them along to the front door. Integra marched forward and boldly looked straight into the camera positioned off to the side.

"Lord Ethridge, this is Integra, Hellsing Director. I seek entrance," she knocked on the door. A mechanical noise followed as the camera focused on her face. The door jumped open for the two and they slowly walked inside.

* * *

><p>The young Draculina smiled as Albert chattered away about science and his new inventions in the kitchen. She laughed at his enthusiasm and gesticulations to add effect. His eyes reflected the utter joy at having her company and his own smile displayed the gratitude he held only for her. Even though she wished to listen to every meticulous detail he fixed together, her thoughts couldn't help but return to her master. She hoped that he would be back soon, and with Integra as well. Not going away on missions with the Hellsing Director gave her an unnerving sensation. She'd been so used to going everywhere with Integra; but now, Alucard was back, and Seras was number two again.<p>

"Are you alright?" Albert asked, snapping her attention to his worried eyes.

"Of _course_," Seras reassured and smiled.

"Because if I'm boring you I can always return to the armory and finish up my work," Albert nervously added.

"Shouldn't you get some sleep?" Seras cocked her head to one side.

"I rarely get any sleep these days," the butler almost complained, "But I'm used to it now."

"Well, I am excited to see the suits in action. It sounds like the team will be very pleased," she sipped on her blood packet.

Albert nodded but his eyes lowered to the ground. He took one step closer to his immortal friend and paused. Seras felt a wave of tension envelop his body as he approached her. She felt his heart begin to beat faster and saw his pale flesh turn even whiter.

"Seras, may I ask you a question?" he glanced up at her concerned face.

"Yes," she turned the wheeled stool to look at him.

"I was wondering something," he began.

Seras could almost feel her heart jump, even though it had died thirty years prior. "Yes?"

Albert exhaled nervously and wringed his gloves together, "Well, I have this book, and it's about the science of vampires and how they work and how they can do what they do and I was wondering if you wanted to look at it to confirm anything that I might have erred in because you're a vampire and I am merely writing this book for my own purposes so that my armor and weapons can be more effective against them; not that I would ever imagine harming you or—"

"Albert," Seras held up a finger, silencing him at once, "I would love to see that book," she said, trying to sound enthused.

Albert smiled and quickly walked off to the armory to retrieve it.

Her hope died at what he said. She hadn't expected a confession of love, but it would have been nice to know one man who could tell her that he cared for her. Albert, instead, spoke of science, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It just wasn't what she had expected to hear, or what she had hoped to hear. Seras then considered another thought: she _really_ cared for her master, and always would; even more than Albert, sadly. If she'd been a mortal, Seras knew she would have loved Albert. Such as it was, another man claimed her first; and it was really his approval and love she ached for. Seras couldn't imagine loving anyone else but Alucard, even though she knew he may not reciprocate her feelings. What was certain was the fact that he must have felt something when he offered her a life with him in 1999. That was what kept Seras waking up every night. Hope. A feeling, she knew, her master didn't comprehend.

"I'm back," Albert announced with a thick book in his hand, startling her thoughts again to wake up.

"Good, let's have a look," Seras reached for the book and plopped down on a comfortable sofa in the den.

Flipping the pages, she saw that they were divided into sections. The first: "The Aura of The Vampire".

The Aura of the Vampire

The vampire is able to attract its prey by a kind of sex pheromone. It seems to radiate from their skin and is able to attract humans. This affects the brain much like how endorphines work. It is an effective way to lure in the human. Surprisingly, it is also possible that vampires can let off a territorial pheromone to mark their boundaries, as also seen in animals. This can lead other unwanted vampires away from another's ground.

Seras flipped to another page. This one titled "Regeneration".

Regeneration

It has been proven that vampires are able to use advanced cell division to regenerate. They are able to use any remaining cells and order them to start multiplying at an inhuman rate. Depending on the vampire and the damage done to the vampire, this can take as little as seconds or as long as days.

Seras felt herself smile. Albert had done a fantastic job with the book. Flipping to the back, she saw another title. Yet there was no writing behind it, and the title only made her realize, even more, how her master was still such a mystery.

The Nosferatu…

Albert peered over her shoulder and cleared his throat, "Yes, well the book isn't finished. I will never fully comprehend just what Alucard truly is. He is capable of being everywhere and nowhere. This alone makes him fourth dimensional. And I doubt that a mere butler could fathom what that entails."

* * *

><p>Alucard opened the door to the study and had his eyes focus on a man who sat by the fire. There was a simple desk which sat near the window that had a single candle atop its table. Lord Ethridge flinched as his eyes came up to meet the NoLife King's. Integra stepped forward and walked toward the fireplace to speak with the Lord.<p>

"I see you have come to me with news of Charlotte," Lord Ethridge said in a low, almost mourning voice.

"I have. Please, let's sit down," Integra motioned for his desk. The man stood up and walked over in a daze, Alucard watching his every move.

Once he was planted in his seat, Integra noticed, as the light from the flames hit the Lord's face, that his eyes were misting.

"Please, you must understand that my SAS Team hunted those bastards down, every last one. But…but Charlotte, when my men arrived…she was already…" Integra's voice faltered as she saw the Lord begin to cry. "My team is bringing back the body for a proper English burial."

"My Charlotte is dead? She is dead? _Dead_?" The Lord repeated the word over and over as a question.

He slouched in his chair, hearing the final verdict, and slumped to his elbows. His head fell to the tabletop as sobs washed over him. His hands were clenched so tight that they were white. Integra sat across from him, trying to figure out what to say when his fists came down and pounded the desk mercilessly.

"Lord Ethridge," Integra warned, though the action startled herself. Who was she to tell him not to cry? His daughter had just died.

"NO, NO SHE CAN'T BE DEAD! YOUR TEAM GOT IT WRONG! CHARLOTTE'S NOT DEAD! YOU WERE JUST TOO LATE! CCCHHHARRRRLLLOOOOOOOTTE!" he roared and ran to the window in hysterics. Integra stood up quickly but realized that she would not be fast enough.

Alucard phased in front of the man and braced himself. Lord Ethridge collided with the vampire at full speed. The desperate man's arms shot out from him as he tried to shove Alucard out of the way, but to no avail. Alucard's arms wrapped around the man's arms and constricted him, though the Lord continued fighting. He eventually collapsed into a pile of sobs once more.

Integra bit at her lip as hard as she could from tearing up at the sight of Lord Ethridge. She was running Colonel Voss's phone call back in her head like a tape recorder. The feeling of guilt waving over her at the news that Voss had failed swept within her again. Her stomach lurched forward in frustrated anger at her own failure to find Charlotte and bring her back alive. Just as she was about to apologize, the Lord ceased to sniffle and rose slowly to his feet. Alucard moved away from the man to give him space to breathe in. Integra watched the man stand up and courageously stare back at her.

"This…this disaster was not supposed to happen," he murmured.

"It is entirely my fault," Integra lowered her gaze but stood her ground.

"No, it is _mine_," he blinked and walked forward to Integra until they were at eyelevel, his body an arm's length away from hers. Alucard growled, but stayed in place.

"What do you–" she started.

"Integra," he began to rush, "Please forgive me. I must get this right. I have to tell you the truth. It was all _my fault_. I hired mercenaries to send her–" he gasped as his head suddenly jerked back and his body went still, standing frozen for a moment.

Integra's eyes widened, "Lord Ethridge! Lord Ethridge, are you alright?" she grabbed his shoulders.

Alucard narrowed his eyes; and then the Lord's head rolled forward, showing a frightened face. Integra searched his panicking eyes and screamed in fright as his arm shot forward and took hold of her pistol. With unbelievable speed, he then pointed it at his head.

"Lord Ethridge!" Integra reached out to grab her gun.

The man's frightened eyes scared her as she watched his own arm slowly point the barrel to his head. His muscles shook angrily, as if he was fighting himself.

"N-NO! AAAAAAAAHHHHHGGHHH!" Lord Ethridge pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p>Oh dear, too bad. The truth was almost revealed! O.o that would have ben very bad, very bad indeed. I can't have my readers know the secrets...not yet :) Oooh, I feel evil.<p>

Integra: what the hell is going on here?  
>Me: you're about to find out...<p>

*Yep, that was from Jack Sparrow's line in POTC II.

~Oh, one last thing: This may be my last chapter for about a month or so. I'm headed off for vacation for a month, but I will be back in July. I might be able to pull off another chapter, but just so you all know, this might be my last for a while!~

**to Animefan111**: Hahahahaha! Your responses have got to be my favorite. I can just imagine you jumping up and down at Albert. He really is adorable, though. Exactly. Alucard and Albert have a sort of 'hate-love' relationship going on. But Alucard, in time, will learn that Albert is nothing like his grant uncle :) And yes, Alucard never fails to mention that Seras is his (heehee)

**to Kiryuu500**: The previous chapter has to be one of my favs. Just to see Albert act oh so awkwardly cute in front of the serious and deadly Alucard. He makes a good foil to any character, really. This chapter proved to be severely intense, but I hope you liked it anyway. I do apologize for the long wait.

**to GoddesOfWrath**: Hey, tell me how it's going if you like it so far. I hope you keep reading!

**to Marionette Queen**: It's totally fine. I'm experiencing all of the business you were dealing with now. Wow I'm so flattered that it totally exceeded your expectations, and that I've inspired you to continue writing your OC story. That's quite an accomplishment :P Yes, the secrets will all be revealed in time. And I had to connect Albert and Walter. Their personalities are pretty similar, though Albert, to me, is even cuter since he loves Seras so much and is always worried and wants to please her. SO cute! And SOOOO flippin jealous that you gratuated. I haven't...yet. Next week!

sorry if i didn't get to all of you, but i'm rushing to get this chapter in right now! thank you :)


	10. A Forced Execution

**A/N: **Wow…UK and France in 3 and ½ weeks. In one word to sum up my trip: Marathon. Oh, and I can't forget this one: Time Zones. Yeah, side effects may include jet lag, or as I like to call it: Zombification!

To the story. (which I hope will ease some of your nerves now that there is an update) hehe

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>A Forced Execution<p>

Integra gasped as she suddenly realized that someone had stepped in front of her. Alucard pushed her away with one hand gripping her arm a second before the shot was fired; but what confused them both was the fact that Lord Ethridge did not aim at Sir Integra. He fired at his own head. And just as the realization had overcome them and seeped in, the lord's head exploded to the side as brain matter splattered the carpet.

"Lord Ethridge!" Integra shouted, though somehow she knew no one heard her outcry.

She watched the lord's lifeless face fall to the ground with a thud. His muscles had relaxed, and his body followed. The gun also fell to the floor with a metallic clank. Looking down, she felt herself shaking slightly with wide eyes and taking in deep breaths. She didn't think her pistol would ever be used against the lord, though it was brought just in case. Shaking his head, Alucard whispered something inaudible as he slowly turned around and gripped her by the shoulders, trying to awaken her from the shock. His red eyes, a deeper maroon, indicated his imminent thirst bubbling just underneath the surface.

"Integra…" he murmured, lightly squeezing her arms.

The director swallowed and tried to find her voice, "No, you're faster than this. Why didn't you save him?"

Alucard's eyes betrayed his facial expression of indignation. "I thought he was coming after _you_," he stated so softly it made her almost shiver, "He reached for _your_ pistol. I blocked him from reaching you. I could never let any harm come to you, my master. Forgive my instinct of protecting my liberator first," his voice was coated in fanatical loyalty.

"I…" Integra stammered, desperately grasping for words to form. Her chest felt as though a tight steel band was crushing it.

"It reminded me of a certain police officer from South America in 1999 who had collapsed, watching me suck the life from his comrades. I motioned to eat him next when he turned the gun on himself after calling me a freak. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen…" Alucard scowled, blinking away the memory.

Integra grew silent. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to make sure that he was really still there, and that he really did, without even thinking, step in front of her to take the bullet…just like he did when Lord Richard shot at her when she was barely twelve. It was strange to feel a sudden and familiar warmness seep inside of her. She exhaled abruptly and pushed aside her thoughts, focusing back on the present.

Alucard turned back to the corpse now lying peacefully on the floor, "In all honesty, I haven't thought of protecting anyone in thirty years. This is the first time I've ever tried to save someone other than myself. And my knee-jerk reaction was to protect you first by blocking you from him."

"You mean to say that you're…rusty? That you couldn't sense anything of what he was about to do?" Integra gave him a dubious look.

Her servant sighed, letting go of her shoulders, "That was the intriguing part: I couldn't sense anything after he stopped talking. I can sense emotions and can read suspicious faces, but without a person's blood, I cannot give you a definite answer. The same rules applied when I defeated Dandy. I sucked his blood, and was then able to tell you everything he knew. Before that, it was speculation as to who we were up against."

Integra motioned to the body, "Sample it. Do not destroy the body; we need to bring him back to the Hellsing Manor and prepare an autopsy for the man in order to figure out what the hell just happened."

Alucard nodded and strode over to the lord. He crouched down and gently took a swab from his finger, watching the liquid absorb into his skin. The vampire immediately retracted himself away from the corpse with such swiftness that it startled Integra. His scowl deepened as lines creased his forehead and as his lips curled over to expose white razors.

"No, that's not right," he muttered, sampling the blood once more.

Integra looked on impatiently, "Well?"

"Everything is gone. His entire memory has been wiped clean. Nothing but a husk is here. Nothing but blood is here," he balled his hand into a fist and rose slowly.

Integra exhaled and closed her eyes. The mess was turning into a puzzle: what she had feared most. The Hellsing Director knew that answers needed to surface, and quickly. "We will not obtain any more answers without help. It's time to call upon our coroner."

"Yes, master," Alucard obeyed.

* * *

><p>"COLONEL VOSS!" Seras screamed and tackled a huge scruffy man, "You're home!"<p>

The bald man embraced her back with a laugh. His strong arms squeezed the young vampire with all of their might. He didn't care; he knew that it didn't hurt her…_couldn't_ hurt her. He could never hurt her with his strength. They parted, and a huge smile accompanied his happy face.

Seras looked the man over with probing eyes. Sadness was behind the veil of happiness, and she knew it was because the team had failed. A beard threatened his unshaven face and unkempt clothes. Dirt was smudged in between the bags of his eyes and in the crevices of the corner of his nose. The man looked like he had aged another five years since she last saw him.

"Seras, I haven't seen you for too long. I notice you've taken care of the manor while we were away," Colonel Voss glanced back at his arriving team.

She smiled, "I have."

Seras saw Rex, their Executive Officer, enter the room along with the team's best sniper, Baako Amadi. Rex reminded Seras of Pip with his longer hair, though not braided, and winning charm to flirt with her. Baako, on the other hand, no one bothered. He had fled from his people in Africa to fight in the battles between vampire and human after a herd of them wiped out his family and friends. He was recruited into SAS shortly after, and had been a soldier for Britain ever since.

Baako scanned the room silently and sat in a chair where he could see every exit. After another moment, he then hoisted up his gun and began to carve symbols into the barrel. His eyes rested watchfully on Seras's every move.

The young Draculina turned back to Voss, "Your men should rest for a while after what you've all been through."

Voss chuckled and stretched out his arms, "We've already caught some sleep on the plane ride back. My men are ready for the next mission."

"But you must have some short holiday or a small vacation," Seras argued and looked around the room for support.

"Well! SAS is finally back, and your next mission may be sooner than you think," Albert clapped his hands together and motioned for the door, "I'd like to show Colonel Voss, Rex, and Baako a few things that I've made for them in the armory please…"

"Certainly," Voss grunted and dropped his duffel bags where he stood, whistling for the two other men to follow before Seras could object.

Seras sighed and decided to follow the men across the Hellsing mansion and down into the armory, Albert's sanctuary. She phased through the walls quickly and found herself almost immediately in the room. Taking a seat in the broken wheeling chair, she paused, feeling someone else's presence. She nearly fell off of the chair when she heard the voice.

_Police Girl, tell Albert that he needs to come to the Ethridge estate immediately._

Master?" Seras asked to the air. _There's never a break, is there?..._

_Do this _now_, there has been another death_, Alucard stated, trying to repress his annoyance.

_Whose?_ His fledgling asked.

_The lord's. _

Seras started but quickly regained her composure. _He's just about to introduce the suits to SAS. The team just arrived on Hellsing Manor_.

_There isn't much time and we need an autopsy report as soon as possible_, Alucard said with more weight, dismissing what she had said. _By Integra's orders, he must come out here now._

Seras sighed, knowing she shouldn't cross Sir Integra. Albert had been waiting years of preparation for this moment, and this time he had to pause it to assist Integra. But no sooner was she about to answer when the group of men entered into the armory. Wasting no time, Seras shot up from her seat, startling Albert and Voss of her existence in the room. It made Baako flinch.

"Albert, Integra needs you to drive to Lord Ethridge's estate right now. I just spoke with Alucard and –"

"Alucard?" Rex exclaimed, "Alucard? The Nosferatu? What? He's back?"

"I don't have time to explain it to you," she turned to Albert's pleading face, "Please, you must go. The lord is dead and they need an autopsy report right away."

The butler's face changed from begging Seras to let him stay to sorrow and remorse. "Oh God. What happened?"

Seras exhaled impatiently, "I don't know yet. All I know is that he's dead and you need to bring him back here to inspect the body. Something is missing, and Integra intends to find out just what the hell is going on."

Albert paused and looked back at the SAS men. He then turned to the vampire and smiled politely, "Before I leave, the team's next mission is to kill a group of vampires I've located with the police in downtown London. We believe they are somewhere in Russell Square. The details of it are on my desk in reports. Tell Integra I'm on my way."

"I will," Seras nodded, mentally reaching her master. Albert sighed, but started to walk out of the room.

"Oh, and Seras? I will call you from my headset in the car to explain the suits. I have a screen in the car connected to my computer," Albert smiled.

She'd remembered a few things from what Albert discussed with her, but by no means did she know the ins and outs of the suits he'd been working on for months at a time. She laughed nervously at being put on the spot and only grew more anxious as she felt the expectant stares of three other men focus on her. Her nerves were calmed once she knew that Albert would actually be present with them.

"Of course," she answered and watched him leave.

* * *

><p>"Seras?" a mechanical voice asked.<p>

The Draculina turned around to face the butler's laptop and smiled when she saw his face on the screen. "Yes, Albert?"

"Can you unplug me and walk me over to the suits? As of right now, I'm in the car. I've punched in the address, so it's on autopilot," the voice answered.

Unplugging it, Seras picked up the laptop and walked over to the suits. Rex, Baako, and Voss gravitated toward the first one. Albert cleared his throat, though Seras could almost feel his anticipation emanating from the screen.

"Behold," a dramatic voice introduced, "The first of its kind. The H-1 Suit! I will go from the inside out in explaining these. If you look to your left, gentlemen, you shall see a closet. Within it are, what I like to call, skin suits. These are commonly worn by astronauts; so I've decided to use my own created skin suits for you. Attached inside are sensors that read heart rate, blood pressure and pulse, blood oxygen content, respiration rate, blood sugar level, hemoglobin levels, and cytokine and histamine levels."

Rex murmured, "They have those in space suits too."

"Indeed," Albert's voice agreed, "And just like the space suits, the skin suits have ribbon-like flexible tubes filled with saline solution that bring warmth or cold to the body. There are thicker hoses between the shoulder blades that can attach to the air scrubber which is the main filter."

Seras grabbed the blueprint of the skin suit and placed it on a lighted table from underneath. She flipped the switch on and watched the papers highlight the contours and outline the magnificent drawings of the suit.

"Now, the exterior systems of the suit include the air scrubber, the heating and cooling systems depending on where you are in the world, (for example, fighting in the jungle would require the suit to cool your body instead of heat it), and then there are the drug injection systems."

"Drug injection systems?" Colonel Voss raised an eyebrow.

"You heard me correctly, Colonel. They are placed in the middle of the back, where there is less body movement. There are two main injections: a powerful anesthetic that causes numbing, and the other is an artificial adrenaline that will help prevent shock from occurring."

Rex scratched his head in befuddlement, "I used to see this in the U.S. after the Recovery Period and then with us as well. But they came in kits that were attached to your pants. I can't believe you've managed to place this into a suit."

Albert laughed, "I'm just getting started. Seras, would you place the blueprint of the gel on top of the skin suit?"

Seras rummaged around his papers until she found a piece of paper with drawings of gelatinous bags sewn together. Placing it on top of the skin suit, she then waited for the men to understand its purpose. When they looked back at Albert, he smiled.

"This is an oxygen reactant gel. It is liquid in form, but, when the bag is penetrated with a bullet, it reacts to the oxygen now inside of it, as well as the oxygen from your blood, and forms into a hard gelatinous plug around the wound to clog it up. Suspended within the gel are coagulants laced with antibiotics to prevent infection."

"Jesus," Rex whispered. Seras smiled.

"Seras," Albert looked up at her picture from his own screen in the car, "Could you please now place the blueprint of the frame on top of the oxygen reactant gel? And then the armor too."

Seras found the papers and straightened the others on the lighted table.

"Thank you. Now, there is the frame of the suit and the armor. This, in short, contains the motors and servos which are basically the parts of the suits that let your joints move. It is made of aluminum but is reinforced titanium in case any vampire gets a little too excited. Outside of that is the Kevlar armor that is welded and rivetted to the suit. It, believe it or not, is an ablative reactive non-Newtonian armor."

"What does that mean?" Seras asked, finally lost within the words.

Voss grunted, "It outdates carbon fiber ceramic plating. This non-Newtonian substance probably bends under pressure, but does not crack when hit. It probably then returns to its original form and bends again when hit."

"W-what? So…you mean it's like jell-o?" Rex asked.

Albert laughed, "If jell-o was ten times the strength of steel and thicker…yes. Do not mistake, however, the integrity of the armor. If hit enough times, it will eventually crack. What makes this type so unique is the fact that the bullet is stopped from ever entering the suit. It hits, and then fall to the ground completely flattened out like a pancake."

"Oh..my..God," Rex grinned, "So when can–"

"I'm not quite finished," Albert cleared his throat, "Next is the helmet. It is made of the same polymer armor as the suit with a wire system that hooks to the heating and cooling systems. There are three cameras, one on each side of the head and one on the forehead. The lenses are the size of pencil erasers, so they will be very hard to shoot, and they are fully embedded into the helmet with no exposed parts. They have x-ray vision as well as infrared vision and are capable of zooming in twenty times what an eye is capable of. I figure this way anyone can become a sniper with their gun."

"Even though vampires don't give off heat, that's still a good idea since they are colder than their environment. The infrared can still pick that up," Voss nodded.

"And…the helmets each have a heads-up display with features showing and updating the state of the suit. Lastly, a computer that assists the operator was placed in the back of the helmet. It should be well protected since the suit has a raised collar shielding the neck from most damage."

There was a pause when the men breathed in, and their gazes turned from the lighted table to the actual suits with awe. Seras looked at the laptop's screen and smiled at Albert. He had made them speechless. A smile returned hers, though she could hear the car slowing down on his approach to the Ethridge estate.

"Gentlemen, I do not want those suits being touched until I arrive back at Hellsing Manor. I shall return soon but I have arrived at the estate. Goodbye, Seras, and thank you for your help," he stated.

Seras waved and then shut the computer off, watching the SAS men and rounding them up to leave the room. This was not for Colonel Voss's sake, or for Baako's sake. Rather, for Rex's. His mouth dropped once more, but she quickly took his arm and guided him out of the room, silently tuning out his murmurs of confessed love for the machine.

"Wow," Colonel Voss stated, shaking his head.

"You ever play Halo, Seras? It's a really old game now," Rex asked.

"Ancient for some," Voss chuckled.

"…A couple of times. Some of my officer friends I would visit, on occasion, would have tournaments when they were on leave…why?"

"One word, my dear: Master Chief. Albert created the Master Chief…only…it's a little bigger and bulkier than that…But it's like a dream come true!" Rex's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

* * *

><p>Integra lit another cigar and shifted her weight in the lord's leather chair. Both people seemed bored of guessing the possibilities of how lord Ethridge turned against himself. And the more both waited, the more Integra could see Alucard's hunger rise. The last time she was aware of it being dangerously high was when Seras reported to her that Alucard forgot who he truly was and believed his identity was Count Dracula. During their wait, her servant slurped on a few blood packets, but he hadn't obtained a full meal since his first night upon returning to Hellsing. A worried frown adorned the director's face as she watched Alucard ignore the urges to drink from the drying blood on the floor.<p>

"This is a crime scene, and you mustn't touch it. I need it to be exactly in the same position when Albert arrives. He can put this body on the stretcher and begin to examine what caused this…fiasco," Integra waved a hand at the mess of broken glass, splintered wood, bullet casings, and dead body.

"Indeed," Alucard muttered, his thoughts elsewhere.

Integra sensed this by his expression and tapped at her cigar, "What's on your mind, my servant?"

He blinked, trying quickly to think of something else, and focused his eyes on his master. "I must feed soon. The only blood I can consume is back at Hellsing."

Integra nodded, "As soon as Albert arrives, I shall no longer need your services. You will be free to leave as you so wish."

Alucard bowed his head, "Thank you, master."

"I am reluctant to say this, but the more I think about this situation, the more I realize it resembles…" her voice trailed off.

Alucard paused, considering what she said, "I understand. Before, we were dealing with two rogue vampires. Now, we're dealing with something entirely different."

Integra ceased tapping her cigar and looked up at him. "The way his head jerked back, the way he executed himself, and the way you cannot absorb any information from the body…"

"Yes," Alucard turned around to face the drying bloodied body, "But he is neither a manufactured vampire nor a soldier. And he did not burst into flame either."

Integra sighed, "Yes, I know. However, that has never stopped…dedicated followers. Fanatics who are determined to continue his manifesto."

"The Major's only mission was to destroy me. His entire life was meant to destroy mine. However, it is possible for him to have an entourage even after his death," Alucard pictured the small, pudgy man once more with droves of soldiers and scientists behind him.

"And yet," Integra paused from her guessing, "The more we assume, the more we make snap judgments, the more our imaginations run wild, the worse this will get. We must stick to hard facts, evidence."

Albert bowed graciously, "I've come on hearing your orders, Sir, to eventually bring you said evidence. I have with me a body bag and a stretcher with a van waiting out front. And before I forget, SAS has arrived safely to the mansion."

"Albert," Integra's eyes widened, and slight relief washed over her face as she stood without hesitation, "Thank you. I am glad they are back. Is there any way you could examine him here and find out what caused this?"

Albert shook his head as he motioned to approach the cadaver, "I'm afraid not. In my haste to arrive here, I only brought a few supplies; just enough to get him back to Hellsing. I have the proper tools for a medical examination there."

"Of course," the director's crestfallen voice filled the silent room, "You may begin in his transport."

"Master," Alucard interrupted, "May I leave you now?"

"…Please," She nodded and opened her hand as a gesture to the door. Her servant bowed and slowly faded into the darkness of the room.

* * *

><p>So what have we learned about Albert in this chapter? I swear, I just keep adding on things because his character is so expandable, <strong>not<strong> expendable, **expand**able.

He's  
>1. A butler<br>2. A scientist  
>3. A weapon's dealer<br>4. A mechanic  
>5. And now…a coroner.<p>

…yummy :P what else will we find out about him? I love this guy.

OK next chapter: More Seras and Alucard reactions…I think…


	11. Master and Servant

**A/N:** ...finally poor Seras finds some affection from her master...if what you see below is called 'affection'.

Wow, this story is becoming a novel! I'm interested as to how many of you will read it to the end.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>Master and Servant<p>

Seras had lost all awareness of time when her head hit the pillow the day before. All she could remember was drinking her fill of five blood baskets and then heading off to bed for the morning. She groaned as her alarm clock started and hit the top of it. Sitting up, she noticed that the lid to her coffin wasn't even closed. It was half open, and resting diagonally to the side of its properly sealed place. She lifted it completely and scanned the room. Her master's coffin sat opposite hers, as it should.

"You must be more tired than you look," Alucard muttered.

Seras turned her head to the back of a tall chair. "Master? I don't remember you coming back here last night…"

"I was here," Alucard stood up and walked over to his coffin, "And there."

Seras frowned at the cryptic statement, "Well, good evening," and rose to her knees.

Her master smiled as he watched Seras wipe her eyes and yawn like a lion cub waking up from her sleep. Sharp teeth extended for a moment's breath and then retracted swiftly into concealment. He gazed out at the rising moon lovingly and watched the forest beyond.

"Is there something on your mind, master?" Seras asked as she rummaged through her coffin to find a uniform.

"Always," he answered. And saving her the trouble of nagging him with another question, he continued, "Tonight is when we hunt down vampires in downtown London. Albert has discovered an infestation of them, and it's our job to exterminate the problem."

Seras grinned, "Can't wait."

Alucard turned his face back to his fledgling, "Really? That's not the usual response I could ever get from you."

Seras halfheartedly laughed, "Yes, well, you've been absent for three decades, remember?"

"Hmm," he replied, and stared back at the moon, "happenstances of life."

Seras controlled her urge to lecture him on how that 'happenstance' caused pain for both her and Integra. She rolled her eyes instead and changed with lightning speed into her uniform. Fortunately, Alucard gave her the privacy she needed and turned his back to moon-gaze. She then made it to her dresser and opened a drawer to her left. Within seconds, she ripped open the blood packets stowed there and tipped them into her mouth. She closed her eyes as her senses became overwhelmed by the nourishing taste. Seras clenched the packet to obtain every last drop and then gently opened the plastic bag back up to begin licking the interior. Wasting one drop of her life force was no option. After a brief moment of satiation, she tore through the next blood packet, and the next, until she could no longer find any others within the drawer. The Draculina sighed, completely content, and looked back to notice that her master was staring at her with an intrigued expression.

She smiled flirtatiously, "Never thought I'd enjoy it that much?"

He smiled in return, "Didn't think it was possible."

"_Again_," Seras stressed the word, "You've been gone for quite some time."

"I'd love to see what else will come as a surprise, then," he walked soundlessly across the room to the doorway.

Seras followed her master up endless flights of stairs until they met the ground floor. White and black checkerboard tiles led to dark maroon and gold carpets and expensive furniture. Everything within the mansion seemed old and new. It had been kept under fine care and management by Albert who saw art in even the smallest, hand-polished silver spoons that had engravings on the side. Everything that was incomplete, ancient, or a mystery completely fascinated him, and it was because of his fascination with the mansion that it stayed in great care and cleanliness.

The two vampires finally made it to the parlor area and hoisted up their guns. Albert had reloaded them with finer bullets and told both that they would be placed in the parlor. Seras reached for her Harkonnen rifle and balanced it easily on her index finger. Alucard picked up his new Jackal, now having a pair of them. He slid both within the folds of his jacket and grinned. Seras then reached for the Casull, a gun Alucard no longer cared for. Last was her combat knife. Vampires fighting against one another usually meant that there would be hand-to-hand combat eventually. Seras made the 15in blade herself and carved 'Hellsing' into it. She was admiring the curvature of the blade when a thought occurred to her.

"Will SAS be joining us?" she asked.

"No. Their new suits will need to be tested before Integra lets them out on the streets. Tonight, it's just you and me, Police Girl," he turned to her with fresh amusement in his eyes, "Or are you nervous?"

Seras laughed, "As much as you'd like to think that I still quiver and shake at your voice, it's not going to happen. I'm not nervous; just not used to us working together again. Forgive me, it's been thirty years."

Alucard chuckled as he freely reached for his fledgling and wrapped his arm around her backside. She was warm to the touch, which only made his skin tingle and crave for more contact. In that moment, he realized how long it had been since he had touched anyone or been touched. Normally, he didn't like skin contact nor did he ever seek it out; but feeling the warmth of his fledgling's body, the fact that she'd just fed, made him forget how intimate the act was. Her body immediately stiffened and went rigid with shock as he pulled her closer to him. He knew she wasn't ready; he knew she was still too young to even consider taking her truly as his own; he knew there was still innocence in her that had to be killed in order for her to survive, and not just to survive existence and history…but to survive from him as well. The elder vampire looked into widened eyes and smirked at their confusion.

"You may not shiver at my voice, Police Girl, but you still do at my _touch_," he murmured, the smile she could hear in his voice as he brought his lips to her ear.

Seras felt her cheeks grow hot and she immediately knew she was blushing. The young woman hadn't felt him touch her ever so affectionately, even if his intentions were strictly carnal. Yet, after a moment's touch it shocked her into silence not because he was touching her, though a portion of it was, but because she could sense the overall gentleness with which he held her. Her eyes wandered up his sharp facial features and to his flickering eyes. Something had piqued their interest; they were patient…waiting; it was her move, and Seras suddenly felt compelled to show him just how much she had changed since he saw her last. But she waited, letting the moment drag out to make sure Alucard thought he'd won his little power game. As soon as his arm loosened its grip on her waist, and as soon as he sighed in slight frustration, Seras let her arms slither up his chest and wrap around his neck, tugging him back to her. Alucard's eyes widened this time as the fire reentered into his eyes filled with life once more by her touch.

"What was that about me shivering at your touch?" she asked in a low flirtatious purr.

Alucard's hands instantly found themselves back at her hips and rested comfortably there, though he could already sense her anticipation. But within the moment, nothing happened except master and servant staring into the other's eyes. Skin contact followed as Alucard's right hand slid past her hour glass and up her arms to her face. He gently grasped her warm neck against his cold hand and brushed her cheek with his index finger and thumb, never once breaking eye-contact. Seras reached up to trace his jaw line, the bridge of his nose, and his thick ebony hairline against the ghostly whiteness of his skin. Seras exhaled and watched her master close his eyes, as if he was remembering a memory.

Even though the moment may have looked strange, and even though it should have felt incorrect to Seras after all of the years he never pursued her, nor even deigned to touch her, she felt entirely at peace. Sensing his arms holding her in a kind of embrace made her feel complete, like he was half of her, and she half of him. Seras could sense her master struggling to keep himself from her; but his servant realized that the more she held onto him, the harder it was to control himself. Alucard's eyes opened, and most of their predatory gaze had melted away to a look of soft sorrow.

"Seras," Alucard whispered, "If–"

"Alucard, there you are!" Integra exclaimed, walking up to the pair, "Making an old body chase her servant all around her mansion is not a good way to start the night for you."

"Apologies, master," Alucard stated tightly.

Alucard restricted Seras from moving; she stayed glued to him instead. And instead of resisting at the awkward scene, she only gripped him tighter at the sight of Integra, slightly angered that the director ruined the special moment. The Hellsing Director stood for a second but then continued on, pretending that the embrace she saw was normal.

"I expect you both to come back with blood on your hands. Leave no survivors, is that understood?" she asked, assuming her professional composure.

"Yes," both vampires said in unison.

"Good," Integra nodded, fitting a cigar into her mouth, "Then–"

"Sir!" Albert ran up in a white lab coat splattered here and there with red. He paused to a dead halt as he saw Alucard and Seras. His jaw tightened visibly and his eyes fell to the floor in defeat.

"Butler," Integra tapped her foot, "You have my attention, now use it well."

Albert leveled his eyes, avoiding the area Alucard and Seras contained, "Of course. I…I…" he closed his eyes, "I just wanted you to know that I've started examining the gunshot wound to the lord's head, and I know you wanted me to inform you of when that was starting."

"Ah, yes. Off you go then; I'll be right up after I sign a few papers," Integra made one last stern glance Seras's way and then headed up one of the sets of staircases to her office.

Albert left without looking back at either of them; but instead of feeling betrayed or spiteful, he knew that in the end, Seras was Alucard's. He had turned her, she was his servant, and her alliegance would always be with him.

Seras stared for a moment after Albert, and then turned to look at her master. Alucard was grinning madly and glanced down at her.

"If there was a word more hateful than 'loathing', that would be his feelings toward me," he grinned. Seras smiled too, though it was forced.

* * *

><p>Integra exhaled the rubbing alcohol smell from her nose from the medical room. Its sterile environment was almost too much for the director to even bear, but she cleared her throat to speak.<p>

"Before you ask me if I have anything," Albert interrupted, his head bent over Lord Ethridge's body and his uniform a white cloak with latex gloves, "May I please remind you that I've had this body for less than nine hours, that there is nothing physically wrong with his body other than the fact that he shot himself, and that he is perfectly healthy otherwise? Oh, and the fact that I had to sleep for four of those hours in order to be half-functional for this operation."

"Thank you for the update, but I must inform you of the…royal pressure that is placed upon me finding out exactly what happened," Integra worded. She didn't have time for outbursts of complaints of sarcasm.

Albert slightly looked up, but was not facing her, "So the King wishes to know of this?"

"King William _does_ want to know. He has every _right_ to know."

"I take it you've told them about Alucard's return then too?" he asked, reaching for tweezers.

Integra's shoulders tensed, "I have, and they were not at all happy upon hearing his arrival. Of course, they were somewhat aware of the vampire in 2000. But they had not grown up dealing with them as his grandmother did."

Albert nodded, lifting a fold of skin off of the lord's chest, "Naturally, they would probably manifest characteristics of…paranoia and overreacting."

Integra's ancient blue eyes calmly rested across the room on the clock. "Can anyone blame them? At a time where you truly grow up in the Recovery Period, can anyone blame you for fearing the likes of vampires? Can anyone blame you for hating what crushed your world and innocence?"

Albert scoffed, "Well, when you put it like that, Sir."

"They will learn in time how to deal with –" her voice ceased when she saw her butler's body stiffen. After a short moment, she moved closer to him, her heart beginning to start, "Albert?"

"Yes," he turned around, exposing his layered spectacles with eight different lenses. His eyes were enlarged eight times their original size due to the glasses, and Integra almost flinched at the strange look.

"Is there something you found?" she asked.

"I…I'm not sure," he whispered, turning swiftly back to the body. A hand shortly after motioned for her to come and peek with him.

She hesitantly moved closer and peered over the table to the body of what once belonged to her former colleague and friend. A mournful facial expression changed her face rapidly as she remembered her times with the man. But the moment was short lived when her butler grunted.

"Here! Do you see it?" he reached with tweezers next to the body's head and pulled on something long.

Integra squinted her eyes until they felt strained. She could barely see anything besides the gaping hole that was blasted through his skull. Albert quickly zoomed in on the lord's wound with a mirror-sized magnifying glass. She then gazed into it, trying not to notice bits of flesh and tissue still attached, and saw a long thin strand of some kind. Glancing back at her servant, she frowned.

"What is it?" was her question.

Albert smiled, "Certainly not a piece of human tissue. The beauty of mysteries, Sir, is that they take time to unravel. Come back in an hour or so, and I'm sure I'll have something for you. As of right now, all I can give are speculations."

Integra reluctantly agreed and exited the room, leaving Albert to his toys and machines as she usually did. When he gave her a date or a specific time, if she checked up on him then, he would usually have something new for her. With the director gone, he returned to his work, now in complete engrossment and solitude. He smiled at the solitary company of just himself and a dead man. Often bombarded with beckoning calls and orders, he now could continue at his own pace for once.

"Lord Ethridge, what can you tell me about your suicide?" Albert asked, bending down to peek closer, "That is…if it was a suicide at all…"

* * *

><p>Seras enjoyed the silence of the night…other than the noise of the drunkards out on a Friday evening. The noise and stench was enough to cause her to gag, but she controlled herself and kept to the shadows instead. Her master was right behind her, which was a nice change. She inhaled and picked up a vampire's scent close by. The only problem was that Russell Square was close to many important and iconic English buildings such as The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and even within reaching distance of Buckingham Palace.<p>

Seras sighed in frustration. On the one hand, everything was within walking distance in London, but on the other, that was a one-minute sprint for a vampire. Everything was crowded together, and that made precious buildings and monuments even more of a target for collateral damage when fighting against vampires. Alucard and Seras both had to be alert and needed to choose their battlefield wisely.

"I see nothing has changed," Alucard murmured, "Everything looks similar to the way it was."

Seras glanced around and paused for a moment, "The Tower of London was partially destroyed once, Horatio Nelson in Trafalgar Square was hit three times, Parliament was hit more than once, and Buckingham Palace was almost hit once. Most of everything is rebuilt now, so that's why it seems normal. But the past years have been anything but normal."

They were coming up on Southampton and she suddenly smelled something.

"Do you smell that?" She asked.

Alucard nodded, "I recognize it."

Seras turned around and eyed her master. Shaking her head, she shuddered and remembered that, in the end, she usually didn't want to knowwhat he was talking about. The two closed in on the scent and narrowed it down to a small pub next to the Imperial Hotel. The stench, Seras could tell, was more than beer, vomit, and low hygiene. It was human flesh and blood, and it was being boiled. The sweet smell of it was found nowhere else.

Seras slung the Harkonnen Rifle over her shoulder and placed the Casull in her belt; a spare was in a strap on her leg. Alucard smiled eagerly and tapped at his Jackal. Seras then took a hair tie and wrapped her strawberry-blonde hair in a small pony tail. Her bangs fell into her face once more, but the Draculina was too focused to notice that her master was chuckling already.

"Well, let's get this done with. I didn't drink this morning, and I'm starting to regret it," Alucard moved forward and into the pub.

Seras took a deep breath and followed her master. Vampiric eyes adjusted immediately, and she walked to the middle of the dimly lit room.

"This is Hellsing Order of Royal Protestant Knights! Everybody get down on the ground and put your hands on your head!" Seras shouted, Alucard right in front of her.

Men and women screamed and dropped their drinks. The bartender put her hands up and placed them on the table as others complied and lay down on the stained carpet floor. Some men and women hit the ground before the end of her sentence, and it took all of her restraint not to laugh at their buzzed state. Alucard grinned at the bartender and glided across the floor to her. She shivered as he inched closer, his eyes engulfing her into a trance.

"My dear, you know what we came for, don't you?" he murmured.

Her green eyes glazed over and she nodded slowly, "I do."

"Do not restrain from letting us know where they are," he leaned closer.

The woman breathed in sharply as if she were drowning, "They come and take my clients every other week and…and eat them. It's terrible. They hit other pubs so they're not caught siphoning too much from one pub. I've been informing the police, but they can't be stopped, they're too powerful and too fast. And their minions…" she whispered in horror, "Some of their undead minions used to be my _clients_."

Alucard hushed her and broke the trance, smiling. "That will be all."

Seras scanned the others but sensed no vampires in the room. But what confused her was how certain she'd been that the vampires were near. She sensed that their proximity was close, and yet there were none to be seen. She turned to her master with a distraught look on her face and almost apologized for being inaccurate.

"Come, Police Girl," Alucard waved her forward and made his way across the room.

She stared on in confusion, though she was able to force herself to move in his direction. "You know where they are?"

Her master grinned, "They wouldn't have gone too far if they come and get their blood so often now." He turned to look at the ground and phased through the carpet.

People lying on the ground gasped in shock and rolled away from Seras in fright. She smiled and phased through the ground as well. The darkness enveloped her and the smell of human burnt flesh increased tenfold. Her nose wrinkled as she felt her atoms fuse themselves back together into one whole piece. Eyes adjusted once more and Seras was taken aback at the dank area. Her master was a couple of paces ahead of her. A pathway dimly lit by broken lights showed the way, along with a fresh trail of blood.

Alucard took one whiff in and smiled, "Ahh. This reminds me of the olden days with torches and swords, brimstone and fire."

Seras grinned, "Master, you're in the present. Shall we follow this or continue to day-dream?"

Her master sighed, "Very well then. Go on."

The pathway was dank, dark, and mostly covered in stone and dirt. The cieling was one continuous archway of stone that led through twists and turns. Seras soon began to realize that it looked like midieval streets. The dim lights eventually disappeared to darkness, but both vampires preferred it. The air was stagnant, stuffy, and Seras almost choked on it. However, both came upon the growing stench of human flesh and blood as well as an arched door coming into their vision. Alucard and his servant crept up to it and paused.

"Should we introduce ourselves?" Alucard asked.

Seras nodded, "I believe we shall, but allow me to do the honors. Sometimes, barging in isn't the only option" she pushed her master aside, undid her hair tie and a couple of buttons on her uniform, and knocked on the door. Then the young vampire set her rifle aside and out of sight.

"And what, pray tell, would be another option?" her master asked.

Seras turned to face him briefly, "The tasteful deception of womanly wiles, of course," she batted her eyes. Her master grinned madly from her comment, though she turned back around, ignoring him for the moment.

A few moments later, a latch was opened and a pair of red eyes revealed themselves, "Who's there?" it growled.

Seras tossed her hair, standing with one foot in front of the other and pushed her shoulder back to conceal the 'Hellsing' insignia knitted into it. She puffed her chest out as she forced herself to start crying, "I-I'm so sorry," she sniffled, "But I was being hunted down by these cops a few blocks away. I lost them at Kingsway, b-but I'm really scared. They were able to catch my sister and decapitated her right in front of me!" Seras wiped at her eyes.

"They just keep hunting us until there's none left," the voice stated in disgust. The pair of red eyes looked her up and down. Then he noticed a little boy standing next to her as well. "Who's the kid?"

Seras looked down and saw a boy in tattered clothes next to her. He looked up at her expectantly with red eyes and shied away from the man's voice. Seras thought quickly and sniffled again, controlling her spasms, "That's my little brother. I carried him here. He's all I have in this world," she broke the stare between her and Alucard and then turned back to face the latch before she forgot it was there, "Please, sir. We'll only stay one night, I promise."

The man looked her over once more, nodded, and shouted to a few others behind him in the room as the door was opened slowly. Seras quickly grabbed her Harkonnen and barged through aiming at each of the vampires. The men and women in the room gasped at the sudden intrusion, and the man who had let her in became bright red with shame.

The room consisted of one long counter, scattered chairs, and one huge table with an ancient fireplace next to it. There was a kettle running, and Seras could smell from there that they were warming up some blood. She looked at each vampire in disgust as she realized that this scene was what her kind was reduced to. There was no humanity left. None. And none would be spared for them.

"Alright, vampires. You're going to stop feeding off of the humans in the pub above you. Otherwise, we'll have to kill you," Seras warned as she aimed for one of the vampires who looked like she was grabbing a weapon.

"Be a realist, Police Girl. These vampires are dying right now," Alucard phased into his adult form and reached for his two pistols.

"WAIT!" One of the women threw her hands up, "Look, if you want part of our meal, fine. In fact, take it all; we have more to spare. Just don't go telling the police!"

"Lady," Seras cocked her pistol, "We are the police."

The woman's eyes widened to saucers, "But you're vampires. You can't be–" she stopped and paused, "…Oh, God. You're…you're Hellsing!"

In a vicious stampeede, the enemy vampires all roared and dove for their weapons at the same time. There was hardly a moment to breathe, but Seras fired her rifle straight into two of them and smiled as the discharge smoke parted and she saw them scream and turn into ash. Alucard didn't hesitate as he fired his Jackal between another woman's eyes and turned to fire at the foolish man who'd gave them entrance. But that man had swiftly grabbed Alucard's gun and pushed it down, shooting the floor instead. The man then reached for a stake in his belt and laughed as he lunged forward and watched it pierce through Alucard's skin.

Seras feinted right to dodge another row of bullets from other oncoming vampires. She then planted her hand on the flat top of the counter and swung her legs gracefully over and disappeared over the side. She needed cover to avoid getting hit with too many bullets. Alucard, on the other hand, never minded being a meat shield at first. There, she paused and reloaded her gun for the next round of freaks.

But then another vampire leaped over the bar. Seras instinctively raised her gun and caught his mouth on the top of the barrel of her rifle; she pulled the trigger without reluctance, causing his head to explode into mush and spray around her. She smiled, not recalling the last time when she had this much fun. However, the best part to her was the fact that she was back with her master, and everything felt right once more now that she was working side-by-side with him again. More shots were fired, but at least six of the ten inhabitants were ash.

Seras took out her silver combat knife and lunged over the bar and into the crosshairs of the battle. Her master was slicing off the head of another vampire when one tackled him from behind and pinned his arms back. Seras growled and rushed in to kill one when she was shot from behind. She screamed, feeling the individual silver bullets seep into her skin and poison her blood. It was a shotgun, and it fired again. Seras almost dodged it, but the fragments hit the side of her left arm and shredded it like a cheese grater. She fell to her knees in pain, trying to concentrate on healing quickly.

Alucard head-butted the man pinning his arms from behind and turned around to tear his head off. But once the elder vampire turned back around to kill the man who shot his fledgling, the vampire was already aiming for Alucard and shot him square in the chest. Her master staggered back and placed a hand consciously over his heart. Seras gasped and maneuvered her Harkonnen to shoot the man. She cursed something foul as she pulled the trigger, almost breaking it wth her anger and pain. He dodged the shot all too easily and began to laugh uncontrollably at both Alucard and Seras's battered states.

"You are quite brave to come all the way down here. We had a nice business going, and you _had_ to ruin it. Huh, Hellsing," the man snorted, "Looks like I'll have to stop you before you stop me," he grinned and aimed once more for Alucard's chest.

"Wrong," Seras grabbed her combat knife and threw it across the room with unbelievable speed and watched it hit the man below the belt. He screamed in agony and dropped the shotgun, cursing profanities. Sreas grinned at his pain and welcomed the fact that he was falling to the floor to join her.

It was just enough time for Alucard to rush forward and punch his hand through the vampire's chest, watching him gag and gurgle as his body exploded into dust. He turned around and snapped his head toward the door. He could sense a couple had decided their lives on a chance to escape.

"I saw two escaping!" Seras yelled and picked up her knife, wiping off the blood of more than a few vampires. She smiled and turned to her master, eager for his orders.

But Alucard made no motion to pursue the freaks. Instead, he looked down and frowned at the wound…and the fact that it was growing. A short pause entered the room, but it was short-lived. Seras immediately sensed his emotions and stood up from kneeling. Seras then made her way to her master with a terrified expression on her face. Alucard turned to her with a rueful smile and touched his chest. Bits of it turned into dust as his hand continued further and further into his chest. Seras blinked as she noticed his body was becoming transparent and the contours of his body began to outline his form. She shook her head violently in despair and tried to grab hold onto his shoulders.

"Master, _master_, you can't do this again. I can't let you do this!" She shouted in anger. He couldn't disappear again!

"Police Girl, do not fear," he reassured.

"What's going on?" she asked, watching her hands fall through his shoulders. Panic swept over her, and the fact that Sir Integra would KILL her if he left again. It would be on her neck, and she liked where her head was.

"I don't believe I was able to obtain any familiars in time for this little skirmish tonight," he reasoned.

Seras scoffed, "You didn't get any familiars? That means you can't regenerate. And if you can't _regenerate_..."

"Do not worry," he smiled, his voice already a faint echo.

"_MASTER_!" Seras tried to grab onto his whole body this time but fell through and hit the wall on the other side. She turned swiftly back around only to see the rest of the empty room. "_MMAASSTTEERR_!" she screamed.

Nothing answered her. She grabbed at her chest, a human reflex, to control a heart that no longer beat and hadn't for 49 years. Her eyes raced wildly around the room, looking for something, anything. But no sign came nor did she feel her master's presence. She closed her eyes and felt tears well up.

_There was no way, there was no way, _Seras repeated. _He has to come back, he has to!_

_There _is_ no way I would ever leave_, a voice answered.

Seras started as she felt the familiar mental connection to her master again. His body phased into existence once more, his jacket, his black suit, his glasses, his black boots, and his white gloves all reappeared right in front of his fledgling. The last to show was a smile plastered to his face and a chuckle to follow. He opened his eyes and looked over Seras. He noticed her crossed arms and resigned glare; she said nothing.

"I told you not to worry. You see, I don't _need_ familiars anymore. They have become obsolete now that I am everything and nothing…now that I can be _anywhere_ and _nowhere_. Granted, I did die, but since I can choose to be in more than one place, I just reappeared right here. Schrödinger's powers are now at my disposal."

His Draculina picked up her guns and shoved her knife into her belt, angered that she had forgotten. "I will debate quantum physics with you _later_," Seras stated, making sure to not look at him, "We need to kill the other two vampires before word gets out that we hit this place."

Alucard agreed and phased through the walls and up to the ground floor, as did his servant. The vampires looked around to scan the area when Alucard looked over the ruins of the pub. It was as if a monster had come in and torn everything to bits and pieces. Tables were cracked and splintered, glass was shattered, and blood was spilt. Smears and smudges of it were freshly on the ground, and the bodies of the two vampires. One was impaled through the chest on a broken table leg, and the other was shot point-blank range into the bar counter creating a splintering dent into the woodwork of its frame. Alucard bent down and traced his fingers across one's chest. Bringing the dust to his nose, he frowned and stood up, balling his fists. Seras then whipped her head around, catching a fresh scent herself. She turned to her master in shock, recognizing the smell. Robes. Crosses. Prayers whispered. Blessed silver.

Section XIII.

There was no scent of a vampire doing this treachery; it was the scent of Section XIII. Seras and Alucard walked out of the pub slowly and into the street, scanning once more for an agent. Seras knew that their fragil treaty of thirty years had been shattered moments after they had arrived in London to destroy Alucard, or so Maxwell had hoped; but she never thought that they could just trespass whenever it suited them. This act would always pose as a strict religious violation, and if not that, then a border violation no matter what. A sudden movement behind them made both whirl around.

"Hso, hyou hthink hyou're he honly hones hunting hampires, huh?" Heinkel leaped off of the roof of the pub behind them and stood up to grab her pistols; a grin filled with scar tissue accompanied the act.

"Heinkel!" Seras growled.

* * *

><p>Seras IS Alucard's. I hope none of you start wanting AlbertxSeras because of that scene ^.^<p>

It's the romance that will never be. And don't worry cough cough (Kiryuu500 and Animefan111)...Albert is strong, he will be ok in the end :D

~Albert is like Ducky from NCIS, talking to the dead while performing an autopsy! Ha!~

And Hello Section XIII. Paths will slightly intertwine again, but because of my specific bad guys, I'm pretty sure that XIII would _join_ the bad guys if it knew what they were doing...


	12. Honest Dishonesty

**A/N:** Such patient reviewers. Here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>Honest Dishonesty<p>

Integra shuffled through mountains of papers and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Turning to a different pile, she shuffled through the last bits of photographs of Lord Ethridge's office. The crime scene pictures showed nothing out of the ordinary, nothing suspicious, nothing questionable; and like the first time Integra had laid eyes on the photographs, she couldn't find anything worth double-checking. There were no secret notes, no mysterious writings in a journal. The only thing that kept popping up was a number that had called his office phone. But it hadn't led anywhere in Albert's discoveries. She rubbed her temples and began to continue forward when Albert barged into her office.

"SIR!" he shouted as he gripped his chest for breath, "Have you heard the latest from our attaché?"

Integra frowned and stood up, "No, what's happened?"

"It's Chief Makube, Sir," Albert stated almost apologetically, "He's _dead_."

Sir Integra's eyes widened to concern, "_What_?" she whispered.

Albert cleared his throat, "Sir, the report just arrived. The Chief was last seen in his quarters. But upon evening mass, agents discovered his body. He'd been stabbed with a katana."

"Was it suicide?" Integra quickly asked.

Albert threw up his hands, "No one knows at this point. Some say that he's been murdered; others say he took his own life."

Integra, realizing that she had been standing, sat back down in the comfort of her chair. Her mind tried to wrap around the idea that a Section XIII Chief would kill himself. Of course, there was the fact that the agents knew they were going to Hell, that they wanted to go to Hell, and the fact that they wanted to stay there and fight demons for all of eternity…But Integra still couldn't believe that a Chief, Maxwell's replacement, would find it beneficial to kill himself. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Albert, what sword was used?"

The butler looked down at the ground trying to remember what he'd said. His head snapped back up to her, "A katana."

Integra closed her eyes and nodded, "Thank you."

"Why?" the man asked.

"Because," she stated slowly, "There is only one person who could possibly use it after her friend, Yumie, died."

Albert felt his fists tighten around his cuffs, "_Heinkel_."

Integra opened her eyes, "Heinkel."

Albert disappeared for a moment and then cleared his throat, as if to warn Integra that they had company.

"Sir, we have guests arriving," he stated formally.

Sir Integra sighed in her chair and nodded with a wave of her hand to allow them inside. Two men a moment later entered her room without an escort as Albert left them to talk amongst themselves. She sighed again, too tired to become angry and stood, recognizing both individuals instantly.

"Sir Hayworth, Sir Penwood," she shook hands with both well-dressed men as they walked up to her. They each pulled up chairs and sat down before her desk restlessly without speaking.

"Sir Hellsing," Sir Penwood began, "It has come to our attention that a certain Convention member has…committed suicide."

Integra lit a fresh cigar, "Then you have heard correctly."

Sir Penwood exhaled with a forced smile, "We are here to…make sure that this investigation goes rather smoothly."

Sir Integra stopped mid-inhale and stared back at the men, looking them over with more than just a cursory glance, as she had done when they first entered her office. "What are you talking about? You think that I can't handle this by myself, with my own tools and resources?"

Both paused and glanced at the other.

"_No_," Integra interrupted their clandestine exchange, "If you're going to tell me what is going on, then do it now before I dismiss you out of this mansion."

"Integra," Sir Hayworth delicately stated, "We've heard that Lord Ethridge's death might not have been a suicide at all, but rather…a forced execution…"

The Hellsing director tapped her cigar, "It is possible," was all she answered.

Hayworth tried again, knowing all too well that she had come to the same conclusion moments before, "We are here to make sure that no evidence should…be swept under the carpet in an attempt to…hide the truth of what happened…"

"And the Convention believe that I had something to do with his actual death," Integra calmly stated. Her manner sent chills down the back of Penwood's spine.

"Believe me, Integra, it wasn't my choice to investigate you," Sir Penwood apologized and began to babble, "But the Convention voted, and with the majority leader being _Sir Irons_…he practically ordered us to follow your evidence trail and make sure that it added up correctly. Apparently, we have to take 'necessary precautions'."

Sir Hayworth butted in, "Insignificant formalities we must perform, you know. No one, I think, truly believes you killed him…"

She took in a long whiff of her cigar, "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF MURDER! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE SACRIFICED FOR THIS AGENCY AND FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THIS CONVENTION? OVER THIRTY YEARS I HAVE DEFENDED THE CONVENTION OF TWELVE! I'VE SEEN YOUR _GRANDFATHERS_ PERFOM IN THE FIELD, AND AT LEAST THEY KNEW THE WEIGHT OF _HONOR_! I AM A VETERAN OF THIS AGENCY, AND _THIS_ IS HOW YOU TREAT ME?"

Sir Heyworth and Sir Penwood shrank in their seats until both were slouching. Integra had risen from her own chair and had shouted down the men's throats. She had crushed her cigar completely in half and had thrown it across the room in a blinding fury. But her eyes had narrowed down, and her tall stature had begun to relax; her face had fallen into a comfortable frown, and the fire in her eyes had dimed to their natural blue glow once more. The director took a moment to inhale deeply and chuckled darkly, sitting back down.

Integra relaxed in her chair and smiled at the scared men, "I have nothing to hide…_Come_ gentlemen, I'll show you _exactly_ what happened. I was just writing my final report and was going to send it to Sir Irons and to the King and Queen," she stood up and proceeded to make her way to Autopsy.

Both men looked at the other in confusion, but stood up and followed her nonetheless.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Heras Hictoria," Heinkel chuckled.<p>

Seras gripped at her Harkonnen rifle in reflex but stood her ground, "Why have you come?"

"Hthere his hno hone but hme," she reassured to Alucard as he was glancing around for more agents, "Hi hcame halone, hand Hi shall hleave halone."

"Then are you here on a suicide mission?" Seras asked.

"HI hask hmyself hthat hevery hday, Heras," Heinkel lowered her weapon, "Hand heveryday, HI pray hthat hit's hmy hlast."

"Are you going to tell us your purpose of intruding onto English soil, or shall we torture it out of you?" Alucard asked, refusing to lower his weapon.

Heinkel turned to Alucard and smiled, "Hso, hyou really hare hback? Hit hwasn't hjust ha hnightmare. Hit hwas hreality. Hyou hare hback."

"Indeed, I am," Alucard raised his pistols to level with her head.

Heinkel swiftly turned to Seras and stepped forward, "HCan Hi hask hyou ha hquestion?"

"_What?" _Seras's eyes widened in confusion and shock at the way the agent politely confronted her.

"How hfar hwould hyou hgo hto hobey hyour hmaster?" she asked.

"Uhh," Seras glanced at Alucard who was frowning in confusion as well at the presentation of the question.

"HOW HFAR HWOULD HYOU HGO?" Heinkel's body tensed and balled her fists, demanding an answer.

"To Hell and back!" Seras blurted out.

Heinkel burst into laughter and clutched her stomach. Alucard grinned and lowered his weapon; Seras stepped back and towards her master. The agent was able to recover her strength and stood up normally once more, her expression suddenly going blank.

"I wish I had your conviction," Heinkel whispered. She threw scripture to the ground and watched it engulf her.

Seras shielded her eyes and covered her ears from hearing the prayers that were whispered. Scripture flung out of her robes violently and encircled both vampires briefly. It even burned Seras's ears to hear the paper crackle in the beating wind as the agent was consumed within the flying scripture. When the young vampire revealed her eyes, Heinkel was already gone.

"Master, what the _hell_ was that?" she practically screamed, turning to him.

Alucard cocked his head to one side, "I'm not entirely sure," he double took as he noticed a piece of paper still rolling in the wind after Heinkel's theatrical disappearance.

His fledgling paced on the ground in tight circles, "It's almost as if she was crazy. I mean, I already _knew_ that Section XIII agents were crazy…but she looked seriously disturbed."

"By something," Alucard finished as he picked up the piece of paper. The elder examined it as well as its writing very carefully.

"What is it? A paper Heinkel conveniently left behind?" Seras smiled, walking to him.

He was about to chuckle when Seras's phone rang.

She stopped and picked it up hastily to open it, "Seras Victoria speaking."

Alucard considered what happened. She looked more distressed than usual. Her body was rigid, her eyes wild, her movements unpredictable. It reminded him when he was falling into the downward spiral of insanity himself. The elder wondered if she were experiencing the same symptoms as he. But before his thought could mature, Seras gasped and silently agreed, quickly ending her phone call. Alucard looked at her expectantly.

"That was Sir Integra. She needs us back immediately. Sir Penwood and Sir Hayworth are investigating her on Lord Ethridge's actual death."

"They think that Integra killed him?" Alucard growled and turned to the east.

"She's under investigation…" Seras paused, "Yes."

Alucard formed into a huge flock of bats, "Then we'd best get going so that we can prove those stupid grunts are incorrect."

"Actually," Seras stalled and looked at the ground, "She told me that Sir Irons is head of the investigation…"

"Sir Irons? His grandson? The new Sir Irons?" Alucard asked in disbelief, "He _doubts_ Integra…"

Seras shrugged, "Let's find out."

Seras let go of her embodiment of a human and focused on changing into her own flock of bats. She felt herself morph, and although it took practice to herd them around, after years of experience, she felt her individual parts separate into individual bats and fly toward her master. She group all of them together and then headed off toward Hellsing Manor, pulling up alongside Alucard.

* * *

><p>"Ah ah!" Albert shielded Lord Ethridge's head, "I wouldn't touch that, if I were you."<p>

Sir Penwood swallowed from gagging and stood his distance. Sir Integra returned to the room and Sir Hayworth circled his long-time friend.

"He was one of our friends," Sir Hayworth murmured, "Not just a colleague."

Albert ignored the rambling and pointed to a Petri dish that contained contents of the lord's wound. "_That_, gentlemen, is what concerns us now."

Sir Penwood and Sir Hayworth slowly approached the dish and peeked inside. There appeared to be strings, or fibers. Crumpled up next to it looked like a wadded up piece of paper. It was angular and both men could tell it had four corners to it. But both frowned in confusion and glanced back up at the coroner.

"What is it?" Sir Penwood asked.

Albert nodded, "Of course. I found fibers connecting to that," he pointed to the wadded up 'piece of paper'. "It's not what you think either."

Integra sighed, "Albert."

The butler chuckled, but obeyed, "What you see is a circuit board chip of sorts. It looks like the thing was implanted into the lord's head, and was therefore able to…take control over his body."

Sir Hayworth whirled around so Integra so quickly that his tall hat almost fell off, "You're telling me that this chip was implanted into him and that something clicked into his head, making him lose control of his body?"

"Precisely," Integra nodded, "Alucard and I were in his office explaining to him that we lost his daughter when his head snapped back…and his body when completely rigid and motionless. He stood there for a couple of seconds and then grabbed my pistol from its holster and pointed it at himself so fast, I could barely even think to move."

"It is possible that in that moment, the chip activated itself," Albert sifted through his treasure, "I only have fragments of it because the bullet almost entirely destroyed it."

"I see," Sir Penwood slowly muttered, "So what exactly are we dealing with here? A very sophisticated group of people? A sociopath? A psychopath?"

"Sir Integra," Sir Hayworth interrupted, "If they are going after Convention members, then I suggest that we get you into protective custody. You are the most valuable member of the 12."

Integra laughed so hard that her cigar nearly fell out of her mouth, "I can't even stay safe from my vampire servant! You think that placing me into 'protective custody' will save me?"

"W-well," Sir Penwood started, "I think it should be a necessary formality we must abide by."

"Sir Penwood, with all respect, _no_," Integra shook her head, "I will not cower in some safe house with body guards while my duty calls for me. There is no need for that. I have survived for over fifty years in the face of ultimate threats like the vampire."

Albert chuckled at her tone. Many times he had heard it before. The butler was just about to place the Petri dish into his locked cabinet when two figures formed in front of the sliding doors to Autopsy. One was a man dressed in dark red, the other in a Hellsing uniform. She made him softly smile at the sight of her. But he turned around nevertheless and cleared his throat. It gathered him everyone's attention.

"I believe Alucard and Seras have arrived," he stated.

Integra turned around to see her servants walk through the door and into the room silently. Their faces looked stricken slightly, and the Hellsing director felt suddenly threatened.

"My master," Alucard began, "All targets were destroyed…all but one…"

"One?" she asked.

Seras cleared her throat, "Yes…about that…Heinkel paid us a visit, and she looked rather strange."

Albert tore off his latex gloves and walked up to them as well. Sir Penwood and Sir Hayworth were listening intently. Everyone seemed to tense as Alucard held up the piece of paper.

"This was something…left behind from the site. Integra, I think you should have a look," Alucard handed it delicately to her.

She took it and headed out of the room, waving the three of her servants to follow. She didn't want Sir Penwood nor Sir Hayworth to see what she was holding, or what it could say. Alucard and Seras phased through the door and watched as their master glanced it over. She then read it more thoroughly and looked up.

"This is…" her eyes widened.

"Yep," Alucard smiled, "I knew you'd want to see it."

"A name. You gave me a name. The…"

"E.O.H. The Equilibrium of Humanity," Alucard pointed to the bottom of the crumpled paper.

Integra raised her glasses at the nearly illegible specimen, "It's almost as if Heinkel wanted us to have it."

Seras nodded, "Leaving it behind for us to pick it up was no coincidence, Sir. But that paper…It has the seal of Section XIII on it…"

Integra closed her eyes, "So…was it Iscariot the whole time? Was it they who created this mess and made this Equilibrium?"

"I don't think that's possible, Sir," Albert interjected, "They do not have the capability of this. A chip implanted into someone's skull?"

"But Albert, Section XIII is an apocalyptic cult. The night of their little crusade thirty years ago, each agent blew themselves up screaming 'Apocalypse Now!' Do you think that within thirty years, they couldn't possibly be able to find devout followers who would sacrifice their lives?"

Albert lowered his head to look less adament, "No, Sir, I'm saying I'm not entirely sure it is Section XIII for the reason that we're talking about loyal Convention members siding with the Vatican. Section XIII practically needs funding from the state to stay alive as it is. Now what on earth would make Convention members turn their back on Hellsing? Why would one of them want to follow Iscariot?"

"There's always the option of force," Seras countered, "Someone could have forced Lord Ethridge into this and implanted the chip."

Albert narrowed his eyes, "Yes, the organization might have been the ones all along who stole his daughter. Look, all I'm saying is that it would take a hell of a lot of convincing to make a renowned Protestant Convention member to turn on his own."

Integra scoffed, "There were traitors running rampant three decades ago, and their reason was desiring to become all-powerful vampires. It does not take much to poison a mind. It takes luring your prey in, making them think there is no way out, and that your option is the only one that will make them get out alive."

Alucard laughed, "Yes, you would know from experience, master. Your family would know, as do I."

Integra gave him a warning look, "Let's stop guessing and start thinking. What do we _know_?"

Seras looked down, trying to think hard, "We know that Lord Ethridge did not commit suicide. He was forced by something that was able to control him."

"The only time I ever saw something similar to this was-Sir!" Albert gasped.

Integra turned to him anxiously, "What do you know?"

"I…we know that the lord was forced into killing himself…and that the chip somehow activated itself and was able to take control over his body…"

"Yes," everyone stated impatiently.

"Well, I saw something similar when I studied abroad at Oxford years back when I was tring to obtain my doctorate in engineering. Soldiers would wear implanted helmets in combat that had computers in them. It was the first of its kind. Very primitive. There were many bugs in the system, and most times it wouldn't work anywhere near optimal levels. One time, the chip inside malfunctioned entirely and infected the suit with garbled messages and commands, causing the soldier to start firing at his own team mates. There is no ignoring the similarities of now this situation. Ten years, maybe even five years later, it could be possible to implant those kinds of chips into the skulls of humans, although i detached myself from the military branch years ago."

"Are you talking about a kind of...Artificial Intelligence? An AI?" Seras asked.

"Yes. I am," Albert answered, "Because we're talking about an organization, they have followers, it's guaranteed. Perhaps hundreds of followers, each with a chip in their head," Albert paused, "...But this still isn't enough."

"What isn't?" Integra pushed.

"Hundreds, maybe thousands of implanted chips just like the one I found in Lord Ethridge's head. What I mean to say is that when I was at Oxford, we engineers found it benificial to have the implanted helmets, but what made them opperate close to optimal levels was when we realized that one _supercomputer_ could organize and order _all_ of the AI's much faster than we could individually order them. It was more efficient to be on the other side of a huge computer since it could execute orders to whole divisions of men ten times faster than we could ever dream of."

"So the Equilibrium might have a supercomputer. What advantage over us does that have?" Alucard folded his arms.

"Well, we don't know who's a part of them and who isn't. Obviously, whether forced or not, Lord Ethridge was a part of this organization, and he was a Convention member. And we don't know who else," Albert turned to him, "And the fact that we're assuming they have one huge supercomputer means that they can deploy and control thousands of people, anywhere, at any time, at any place, at any given moment."

Integra's jaw tightened as she tried to find another cigar in her pocket, "The worst news is that we also know their cause, their purpose."

Everyone turned to her, waiting.

"Think about what that name means. The _Equilibrium_…of…_Humanity,_" Integra felt a smile threaten her lips, "It's an organization based on exterminating anything that is not human. Meaning vampires. They mean to balance the world back in favor of the humans. Equilibrium."

"Sir," Sir Penwood and Sir Hayworth interrupted, both peeking out from the door.

Integra whirled around in a fury at the thought of them possibly eavesdropping; but she quickly contained herself.

"Yes, Sir Penwood?"

"We have to leave. Orders called in from Sir Irons. We will be back, though," he stated reassuringly with a smile. Integra was not reassured.

Seras, Albert, Alucard and the director watched as the two men treaded lightly on their way out, neither looking back in fear of being yelled at. And once both were out of hearing range, Alucard scoffed softly.

"They may have the support of presumably thousands of followers, but what do they intend to use to exterminate vampires?" Alucard grinned, "That's the real mystery."

* * *

><p>Done! Finally...<p>

wow that chapter was long.


	13. Coercion

**A/N:** Listened to Deadmau5 for hours. Also listened to Glitch Mob and Daft Punk on Pandora. Yes. Daft Punk. Rock on.

Anyway, this chapter was hard to create. I had to make another chapter after this one to make sure it flowed correctly...and I'm hoping things will go smoothly and that nothing will be disjointed...

But alas, I had a burning desire for reviews and I was wanting to post this for a while, so hopefully everything I want will fall into place. Reason being that my brother shined a light on another idea I'd only been, at most, thinking of using. muhahaha...

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

* * *

><p>Coercion<p>

Heinkel buried herself in the one thin bed sheet she possessed. An uncomfortable cot creaked under her frail body. She groaned as her body was laid to rest, if only for moments at a time. She curled into a ball and stroked her katana, remembering flashbacks of her old partner, and of her old paladin boss. Those days were a simpler time, a simpler world. Now, there was shadiness, grey areas where there should be clarity, and mercy where there should be none.

"He htold hme hto," She whispered, "Hi hwas hollowing horders…"

The agent hushed herself and glanced at each window, as if someone was watching her. She'd closed the blinds and darkened the room to an almost pitch-black state. It soothed her slightly, but a movement in the corner caused her to rip her pistol from its holster and point it straight at the intruder.

"Who's hthere?" She yelled.

A muffled answer replied, "Heinkel?"

The disturbed agent snickered and withdrew her weapon, "HMark, HI suppose HI should have hguessed hit hwas hyou who hwas hollowing hme."

The agent afar walked closer to her and placed himself at the foot of her bed, the cot creaking at his weight too.

"You know the whole rest of Iscariot is hunting you. The Vatican has put out an order for your death," he said softly, mournfully.

Heinkel snorted, "Hthey htaught hme how hto hbe hin hiding hfor hyears; hyou hthink HI hwon't hmake hit?"

Mark inhaled slowly, "They sent everyone to kill you…including me…" he whispered the last part and turned to her.

She looked at him with indifference, "Hare hyou hgoing hto hkill hme?"

Mark fidgeted, uneasy of the question and turned back around to not look at her, "Do I have a choice, Heinkel?"

Her expression turned to wistful insight as she smiled, "...Hyou halways have ha hchoice hin hlife. Hit's hjust hometimes heasier hto helieve hyou hdon't. Ha hpriest hmany hyears hago htaught hme hthat."

Mark stood up and turned to her once more, his figure towering over her own, "I just want to know one thing. _Why_?"

The first agent looked up at him, her eyes narrowing, "Hwhy hwhat?"

"Why did you kill Chief Makube?" he blurted out, practically shouting, "Why did you murder our boss? What could _possibly_ make you want to kill _him_?"

At the name, Heinkel twitched, "Hdo hyou helieve hin ha hbetter hcause?" She bluntly asked.

Mark laughed bitterly and gripped at his pistol, "I ask you one simple question, and as an answer, you give me another question."

Heinkel's eyes darkened dangerously, "Hcomplicated hquestions hcome hwith hcomplicated hanswers. HI hask hyou hagain: Hdo hyou helieve hin ha hgreater hcause?"

"Better, greater cause for what?" he answered in a question.

"Ha hbetter hcause hfor _humanity_!" Heinkel shouted, "Hdo hyou hnot hunderstand hwhat Chief Makube hmade hme hdo? He hbegged hme hto hkill him hafter hwhat he'd hdone!"

Mark looked on with a perturbed face, "_What_?" The fire in his eyes dulled to a wave of confusion.

The first agent stood up, leveling the second eye to eye, "HMakube hwas hthe hone hto hlead hthe Vatican hon habout hthe Equilibrium. HMakube hwas hinfluential hin hconvincing hthe Vatican hto hjoin htheir hcause, hto hjoin htheir hpurpose, htheir hcalling."

Mark averted his eyes under her cold stare, "So the Vatican sided with the Equilibrium."

"Hthey hdid," She answered, her tone acidic. "He helieved hthat hit hwould hbring hlight hto Section XIII hin hits htime hof hdarkness.

"In feeling inferior, Chief Makube sought to redeem Section XIII's once great power by allying us with the E.O.H.? It was _him_?" Mark still needed confirmation upon so much information that had been kept from him.

Heinkel nodded, "Hindeed, hit hwas. Makube hthought hthat hsomehow hour hjoining hforces hwould hkill hthe hdisease hof hthe hvampire. Hit hwas honly hafter hthat hhe hrealized hwhat he'd hdone, hthat hit hwas htoo hlate."

Mark shakily sighed and decided to sit back down on the uneven cot, "So he asked you, begged you, to kill him."

She nodded silently and sat back down with him, "Hand HI hdid, hwillingly. How hfar hwould hyou hgo hto hobey hyour hmaster?"

"Heinkel, you know that," Mark softly whined, "To Hell and back."

She looked at him like the answer had been said to her before, but before he could ask, her gaze turned to a forlorn tone. The younger agent watched her expressions change, and noticed her state of dishevelment. Her hair was unkempt, her clothes filthy with mud encrusted cloth, and her eyes darting to every corner of the room. He swallowed hard, knowing that she was, or very well could be, going insane. The pressure put on her, as well as the stress, was enough to plunder any man. And what was worse was the fact that in following orders, and following her own religion's beliefs, she was now condemned to death. Mark knew what she stood for: Catholicism. And he also knew that what the Equilibrium was doing was flatly against it. But both knew that judgment was often clouded upon the presentation of such a tempting offer, and especially one that could possibly achieve the extinction of vampires.

"The worst part is that Hellsing doesn't even know…" Mark softly chuckled, "And if only they knew…"

Heinkel chuckled too, only a certain sound in it made Mark look at her. His eyes widened as she continued to chuckle, which turned into a laugh. He shook his head violently and gasped.

"You _DIDN'T_!"

"Oh," she murmured, "Hbut HI _hdid_."

Mark sputtered, trying to find the words that would calm his bubbling rage, "Do you have any idea how many Iscariot laws that–"

"Hto Hell hwith Iscariot hlaws hand hcodes hof hconduct!" Heinkel shouted, "Hif Father HAnderson hknew hwho hthey hallied hthemselves hwith, he hwould hcome hback hfrom hthe hgrave hand hpersonally hassassinate hthe Pope hwho hconsented hto hthis hmadness hin hthe hfirst hplace!"

Mark stopped in his verbal tracks and paused, letting in a quieting calm enter the room as well as to the conversation, even though it was a small pause. Both agents glanced at the other multiple times and then back across the room. Mark closed his eyes and placed his hands together on his lap.

"I do."

Heinkel looked up at him with a frown, "Hwhat?"

His eyes still closed, "You asked me if I believed in a greater cause. Well, I do. I believe in a better cause than what Iscariot's settled for."

The first agent sighed, content, "Hyou hsee hwhat HI hhad hto hdo. HI ham hnow han hagent hgone hrogue, hwithout ha title, hwithout ha hfaith hto hrepresent, hand hwithout hany hfaith hof hmy hown."

"I have faith," Mark lightly countered, "And this faith I have in humanity, guarding it against all evils, and the faith I have in agents like us…for that, I'm staying with you."

She turned to him, and for the first time in ages, she truly smiled, a light flickering back into her eyes. Miark smiled back and laughed.

"There is one thing I want to know, however…" he added quickly.

Heinkel let him continue.

"Why did you tell Hellsing? Why tell the very people who are our sworn enemy?" A sadness entered his eyes again.

She smiled, "HI hdidn't htell hthem hso hmuch has HI hleft ha hint…ha hclue, hif hyou hwill. Hbesides, HI'd hlove hto hsee Hellsing hburn hfrom hthe hinside hout; hwouldn't hyou?" the grin turned into a smile.

* * *

><p>Alucard inhaled the night air and felt himself relax almost into a meditative state. It had been three weeks since the last time anyone had heard of the Equilibrium. The vampires of the Hellsing Household found themselves grow more and more frustrated at the dead ends of each investigation. The first was pulling up Lord Ethridge's phone records, email records, and camera recordings on every street in London. Nothing. Then came the investigation of every Convention member. Alucard grinned at the memory of the eleven men looking in utter shock and betrayal at Integra's request. Yet all were compliant, and nothing was found.<p>

Then came the investigations of the SAS teams. Though bitter words were choked back and unspoken, there was some understanding that everyone, including them, had to be investigated. Still, nothing came up. Integra was beginning to doubt her team, as well as herself. Most nights, Seras would try futilely to comfort the director, and most nights Alucard would disappear with SAS on their missions for sport.

"NOW!" Colonel Voss shouted the command.

SAS infantry soldiers instantly fired their rocket launchers. Each weighed only 25 pounds and was able to be carried by a designated solder. Within seconds, the building was hit and the missiles exploded on impact. However, they were not ordinary missles. These were top grade AT4 rocket launchers that fired breaching fragmentation missiles; the first portion a shape charge that blows a hole into a wall into a concentrated charge within a 4ft. radius' the second portion a 70mm frag grenade that explodes 10-15 milliseconds after the first impact. The thrust of the missiles into the building continued them through the hole and allowed the grenades to destruct intide the rooms. Instantly, the explosion burst outward, a defaning din accompanied the impact and forced a wave of wind outward at unbelievable speed, causing a mini shockwave. Glass shattered, the wood bent and cracked, exploding outward a rain of splinters that were flying in every direction. Voss almost immediately heard the cries of the inhabitants of the building, and his heart began to race with anticipation. He held his hand out in a fist, ordering just SAS suits to go in first. No doubt, the vampires wouldn't leave their den. They would fight to their second death.

Rex led the way with Colonel Voss behind. Baako was in the shadows, where he liked to be. Rex shouted as he slammed into the rock wall. It caved in just as quickly and revealed a darkened room only lit by flames. Voss followed, noticing an eerie silence within the halls of the store as the dust began to settle and bodies and dust piles became visible. The flames were rising, and yet there was not a vampire to be seen. After a blast like the AT4s, what was once a huge room filled with vampires now was reduced to ash and dust.

"There here…just waiting for your move," Alucard muttered from within the walls.

Colonel Voss slowly crept into another room, watching the curtains catch fire and plastic melt as it dribbled to the floor. "Enough of this pussy-footing."

Rex agreed and gripped at his M134. But just as he was about to pull the trigger, a swarm of vampires appeared from the shadows and toppled over him with imeasurable speed. Colonel Voss ran forward and ripped them apart with his giant claws laced with silver tips that made the heathens scream as they burned. Voss quickly turned around and saw more coming on his flank. He opened fire with his gun and tore apart their line fast enough, but some started to seep from the ceiling and fell onto him.

"ALUCARD!" Colonel Voss shouted as his body turned within the suit. Three vampires toppled on top of him, causing it to sway.

A flash, and the three were ripped to shreds. A dark laugh followed their demise. As quick as he came, he left with the same grace.

"You may come with guns and bulky armor, but you're not as fast as a vampire," Alucard stood on the roof of the alleyway, already safely away.

Voss fired his gun next to the vampire and watched another newborn splatter all over the elder's red coat. He then slashed a different vampire's head off with his metallic claws, "We don't need to be fast in order to be effective! Now GET MOVING!"

Rex charged forward without hesitation and straight into the store. More vampires flooded out of the place in a frenzy, trying to fight with their lives intact. But each suited man fed silver and Holy water-tipped bullets into the skins of every vampire that was visible. Rex sheered off a vampire's arm with the butt of his gun, which was conveniently one long blade. He then punched another's face until the skull cracked and detached from the shoulders. Voss roared in laughter as more piled on top of his suit, desperately attempting to rip out chords, wires, and malfunction anything in the process. But to no avail, thanks to the high collar. Voss just reached over his head and picked off each, squeezing them until their bodies crushed under his force of his metallic pistons and armor.

"They pop so easily!" Rex yelled in glee, "Not so tough now that you've met your match!" He ripped another vampire in half.

Colonel Voss took his giant M134 out and fed more bullet rounds from his backpack into the clip. He pulled the trigger and proceeded to shred the vampires with alacrity at 3000 bullets per minute. In an instant, ten had their insides ripped apart, and had no time to regenerate nearly fast enough. Screams came as they began to charge him; but Voss laughed maniacally and egged them on as he fed more and more bullets into the mass until it started to thin.

Alucard formed into a huge hound and roared as he tore apart some of the last vampires within fifteen feet of him. Even though all of his victims wailed in agony, begging for him to spare their lives, he did not hesitate to end them. It brought him joy to see the light leave their eyes. Joy and happiness. No feeling in the world could replace it.

Alucard felt himself reform, but a shot fired right next to his head caused his black hair to whoosh pass and whip his cheek. The vampire looked up on the roof. A dark figure and a silver barrel of a Barrett M82 silhouetted the night sky. The vampire grinned.

"Baako," he whispered, "I'm surprised you didn't make your aim a little more to the left with that sniper rifle."

The sniper grunted and shifted his position to hit another enemy next to Voss. He still refused to ever speak, especially in the presence of the damned.

Alucard wiped blood off of his coat and proceeded forward. The more he tore things apart, the better he began to feel, even though he didn't need their life essence anymore. He was free of that bondage. He was now free of needing to worry about familiars, about actually dying, and about depending on humans to survive. Granted, he still drank blood to sustain his energy, but even that was merely for the taste and from the habit.

The vampire made his way through the last of the freaks and into the store along with SAS. They had cleared the area and were now searching through cabinets, drawers, and closets that hadn't been affected by the growing fires. The place they were in was a rundown store called Lucky's Grocers. The chain had been out of business for some time, which was an ideal spot for a pack of vampires; hidden in the open, but closed off to society. Aisle ways were pushed until they toppled over, doors were bashed down until they splintered, and windows were shattered. It began to resemble a battlefield.

"_GO GO GO_!" The Colonel shouted as the rest of the SAS soldiers flooded into the building.

The suits had paved the way with force and bulk, but now the regular team raced inside and fought the growing presence of the ghouls. On corners of the walls, they huddled and shot at the freaks with their own AK-47s, M16s, and some alterated FN SCARS back to back.

The last vampires, in their cornered state, began to summon their ghouls. Droves of undead formed out of the ground and lumbered forward. Few had actual weapons, but because of their number, it was hard to tell what damage they could do. Quickly, Baako and Voss threw air-bursting low viscosity napalm grenades, they themselves ducking for cover. The flash and spurt of magma-hot liquid sprayed all over the ghouls, as well as their masters. Vampire and ghoul alike started to scream in agony as the flames engulfed their bodies until all went silent as they turned into dusty, crumbled ash. The napalm left burned through the floors and to the ground, and plastic started to burn at the sides. The soldiers revealed themselves once more and began to pick up deserted weapons and some casings.

"The place is going to burn down!" Rex shouted over the growing roar of the flames as the regular infantry started to head out of the building.

"No!" Colonel Voss yelled back, though they could hear each other just fine in the suits with an intercom system, "We still have a few minutes. Baako captured one; we need Alucard over here."

Voss turned around slowly in the suit and signaled Alucard to come closer. He did so, and exchanged glances with the Colonel. One vampire left was chained to a metal chair. The chain, no doubt, was silver blessed in a church, and the SAS in suits would occasionally spray her with canteens of holy water. The woman screamed for her undead life as Alucard approached her. The elder took a cursory glance at the fact that the silver chains were digging into her skin, causing her to bleed out. But he had a few minutes to spare.

"Oh God," she whispered, "You're from _Hellsing_."

"God won't save you," Alucard whispered back, "It's just you and me and the abyss."

She tried to brush her brunette matted hair away from her face, a trail of blood trickled from her mouth. The room began to feel hot, stuffy as the fires began to hug the reinforced walls, "I suppose it's always been…"

She cringed as Alucard laughed and drew up close to her, "There is nothing left for you, especially not God. He doesn't like our kind, you know that," he softly chided.

The woman resisted her chains and tried to stand as she saw the first glimpses of fire. But the motion was abruptly stopped as the rings on her chains cut further into her skin, opening new wounds. She sat back down and bit at her tongue. Helplessness filled her eyes as they turned to her fate.

"Why?" She asked in a begging tone.

"It's fun," Alucard took no time to hesitate, "And I truly hope that someday you'll understand that the world means nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Please, I'm an innocent vampire. I'm not one of those who feeds on humans. I get my blood by taking it from the European National Red Cross or from blood packets," she begged as he knelt in front of her broken body.

"It may explain, but it does not excuse," Alucard countered, "Whatever your aspirations, you chose damnation. And for that, you shall be punished with the utmost severity."

"I was turned against my will and forced into becoming a vampire! I don't even remember how I was changed! One day I was human, then the next I remember I was a vampire! And yet I have nothing but good intentions as one now," she argued, starting to tremble.

Alucard grinned as he looked at the walls crumbling, "Well, you know what they say about even the best of intentions…"

She began to cry and shook her head.

"The road to Hell was paved with them," he whispered in her ear and grabbed a hold of her head. Pulling her face back, he felt his fangs lengthen. "For what it's worth, you should repent so you'll get a spot in Purgatory."

She hissed as he latched onto her throat and began absorbing her blood. She struggled and tried to fight, the last bit of innate human will to live dying within her. She eventually stopped and let him finish draining her. He was quick in his actions, knowing that she deserved a better fate. He tried to make it painless out of an old habit to be somewhat chivalrous. She could sense this and whispered a 'thank you' as the light dimed in her eyes.

Colonel Voss and Rex were watching in a sort of disgusted awe at the sight. Baako joined them moments later, but just grunted slowly which resembled a growl of disapproval. Though they dealt with death every day, the three men seemed to grow silent at executions. To them, it wasn't entirely the woman's fault if she had been unwillingly turned. And yet it was like a sick twist of correcting a Karmic injustice, trying to let vampires kill themselves.

Sparks flew as more things in the store caught fire. The soldiers looked anxiously around, knowing the frame of the building could collapse at any given moment. Alucard took his time, wiped his mouth, and laughed inwardly at their faces. The vampire searched her pockets and found a wallet. He opened it to a name; Clarissa Boyd. Alucard decided to bring it back to Hellsing and have Albert run her ID. He stood slowly, gently placing the woman's head forward to rest on her chest, and walked forward.

"I have all we need. We killed the leader a half an hour ago when we first torched the place with the rocket launchers."

Rex looked around at the charred building, some random parts on the ground still aflame, "Yeah, about that…I think we had a little too much fun with those."

"Nonsense!" Colonel Voss shouted, semi-deaf from the explosions and gunfire, "If you need to kill a horde of vampires, then what better way to do so than to burn 'em in the fire that created them?"

Baako grunted again, only this time it sounded approving, and scanned the room out of habit. Rex didn't argue and began to pick up valuable silver shell casings, "You know that London will paint us black?" Rex asked, his suit making all kinds of machine-related noises.

"They already have, from calling us tyrants to as low as naming us similar to the very monsters we try to kill," Voss groaned and tried to nurse his head only to find a huge operated and fully-clawed hand about to smack his helmet. He abruptly stopped the action and sighed in frustration.

"What a mess," the X.O. muttered as he checked his surroundings and realized how there were civilians on the ground, along with dead vampires, though most of them now were dust piles, "The police will have our heads for this...all of the bad PR..."

"We are out of Scotland Yard's jurisdiction, remember? We have full immunity from the King himself to get rid of vampire threats. These poor fools were in the wrong place at the wrong time mixed up with the wrong people…or I should say vampires," Colonel Voss reminded Rex.

Rex nodded and brushed off his suit. He checked all functioning systems and individual power levels of his suit, armor capacity, damage reports, and munitions levels. All seemed to be clear of any outstanding extremes and each of the soldiers began to make their way out of the building. The clunky metallic clanks were softly reassuring as the dusted smoke parted and they reached a bloodied street filled with ash. The scene was something that everyone was familiar with, and yet each time civilian and soldier alike saw their home in ruins with dead piling up, it broke hearts. It broke hearts to see a war drag on for fifty years, knowing it would never stop, knowing that it would never end; not unless something truly drastic happened.

Rex, and Voss hopped into the Armored Personnel Vehicle and used the computer's AI inside to scan for any possible vampires still lurking about. Nothing popped up on their screens, so they continued forward and into their huge jumpseats. Baako stayed behind to carry the dead into mortuary vans and wounded into paramedic vans. The fire department had already arrived and was trying to quell the spreading fire to other buildings. A light rain accompanied their journey, sprinkling their armor until plump beads welled up and trickled down the polymer. No one spoke; they just looked out the window at the dark streets seeming to wind on a never-ending maze. Voss glanced down at his claws and watched as the last bits of blood had washed away in the rain and dripped to the floow of the vehicle.

Alucard sat silently, not inclined to phase instantly back to the Hellsing mansion. He mulled over the idea that the vampires they had just killed were too easy to kill. A strange feeling crept into him the more he thought about it. Alucard decided to watch the men's expressions. Baako's indifference as they left, Rex's dull responsiveness, and Voss's hardened look of a veteran. There was no mistaking the fact that all of them had seen too much of war in their lifetime. But what they chose to do with it fascinated Alucard to no end. Where he himself would grow slowly more insane and blood-thirsty, they would revert inward and refuse to talk about it. They were more in control, clearly. But it took a keen eye to notice their durability, their strength, their endurance and stamina to handle such situations. They were the best of the best. They were SAS. No one else could possibly handle Hellsing's madness; and even they sometimes had trouble executing orders.

Alucard could tell that they were slouching into a sort of tired position. Colonel Voss had been a young man when the Nazis invaded England in 1999. He was a simple Lieutenant back then with sandy blonde hair and aspirations to one day become a Field Marshall for her Majesty. A bit on the cocky and arrogant side, but a good man in times of conflict. But one day would change his career path forever. Operation Sea Lion 2. He remembered it well. The stench of the dead. The blackened and marred grounds of his home ruined by enemy damned. His friends murdered one by one by an enemy he didn't think could possibly exist. He won the Victoria Cross for his bravery in holding to his post for ten full minutes with nothing but fifty men and no back up ammunition. No one survived but him and one other man who died later of injuries. He had lost everything, including his fiancée.

_But what had he done?_ Alucard thought as the group of men continued forward at a slow pace through hollow green streets of the beginnings of the countryside. He hadn't turned away from his humanity, he didn't drive himself insane and kill off everyone else he'd come to love. Voss had run up the ranks to become British MI-6, and later transferred to SAS. In a world that almost sealed his dark fate, he defied all and not only succeeded in surviving, but kept his sanity preserved; something that was gone and forever unattainable for Alucard.

Each of them had turned away from the dark, including even Alucard's fledgling, and had the strength to live on. Humanity continued to perplex him, despite having the chance to figure it out thoroughly by living longer than any human. The longer he lived, the more surprises came his way. Was that his underlying reason for living so long? Because there was something worth living for?

"Alucard," Voss said softly, but the vampire heard the mechanical voice even through thick armor.

The vampire walked up and stopped, "Yes?"

"The rest of us are headed back to the armory to hand these back to Albert. We are then going to debrief Sir Integra on what happened…and of the fact that there is probably going to be a huge mob protesting outside of her gates tomorrow," he stated and turned slowly around.

Alucard nodded and felt himself fade away, watching the exterior surroundings melt away to old and chipping painted walls. He dug deeper and soon found the dark walls of his dungeon, his prison, his chamber. The familiarity soothed him as he instinctively sensed the sun's rays rising and headed for his coffin. Someone else's presence startled him, but he quickly remembered it was his servant. Peering over her coffin, he lifted it slightly ajar and looked down at Seras sleeping peacefully. He smiled as she opened her droopy eyes.

"Master," she said groggily, "Is there something you need?" Her hair was already matted to one side, making her un-groomed self look especially appetizing to a hungry master.

"No," he answered her softly, already attempting to close the lid. But a hand on his made him instantly stop.

"How did the mission go?" she asked, not a bit fazed by her outward physical contact, even though he made a point of looking down at her hand so she would notice.

The elder slid his hand away from hers and stood up gracefully, "We killed every last vampire. It was a complete success, in that regard."

Seras quickly sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest, "Meaning that everyone was hoping for a lead…"

"Mhmm," Alucard walked to his only crack of a window and gazed out, pulling a blood packet from the folds of his dark maroon jacket.

"You need rest," Seras looked over his tired face, sagging shoulders, and a sudden bitterness about his face she didn't understand.

He chuckled at her statement through the straw feeding him blood, "What I need is _eternal_ rest, Police Girl."

She was at his side instantly and lightly put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, "Then, perhaps since the next best choice is temporary rest...to sleep in a coffin…"

He turned around to face her and grinned, though his eyes dared her, "A mothering one, you are."

She smiled politely, her now sharp blue eyes glowing, "They didn't call me Kitten for nothing in the force."

He seemed almost inclined to say a furthering statement, but he paused and sighed instead, "I can't. I must inform Integra."

Kitten cocked her head to one side and frowned, "Of what? I thought you said the mission was a success..."

Alucard turned away from her and began to pace, "We did kill everyone that was present," he paused, "But I can taste manufactured vampire easily."

Seras's eyes widened, "W-W-WH-WHAAATT?"

He sighed, whispering something inaudible even to her ears and closed his eyes, "As I was consuming one of the vampires' blood, I could taste something that I hadn't tasted in over thirty years. At first, I didn't understand what it was. But a thought occured to me: that vampire tasted just like Luke Valentine, and all of the other damned Nazis I had to eat, which makes me wonder if she, along with the others, was actually manufactured."

Seras felt her skin crawl at the thought of more manufactured vampires invading England, "You're saying that you think...It's not like vampires today would consent to be copied or tested upon! Where would anyone be able to make a copy of a vampire? You can't just pick one off the street; they need to be of your blood like me or Mina because you directly turned us; and Mina's body was burned in the Zeppelin..."

Alucard shuffled his feet over to his black obsidian coffin and opened it with a simple hand gesture. The lid flew open and revealed a softly-padded inside. But the elder did not slide into it. He stared down into his comfortable resting place and contemplated his information. Everything had to have been destroyed that night. Between the explosion of Seras fighting the Captain, and between the Major and Integra fighting, and then Seras blowing up what was left; everything had to have been destroyed, including Mina's body...right?

"Mina's body would have been rendered useless after that many copies. Plus, her bones were frail and old; a much younger specimen would be used now," Alucard mused softly.

Seras and Alucard both snapped their heads up and stared at one another in a moment of epiphany and realization.

She slowly shook her head in disbelief, "Wait...no...that's not possible..." she whispered.

Alucard's eyes lit up as he began to laugh louder and louder, "It has to be...It has to be!"

* * *

><p>I put it on a cliff-hanger. Hate reading them, but secretly love making them. Start thinking...hehe..everything that I throw at you is made for a reason.<p>

Update finished! Reviews may commence.


	14. Both Friend and Foe

**A/N:** Hello, hey, hi, goodbye. The answer to your cliffhanger awaits. But DO NOT skip the beginning part which you are about to read.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

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><p>Both Friend and Foe<p>

Integra relaxed comfortably in her chair as General Walsh eased into his chair. They both grinned at one another, their expressions reflecting years of working side-by-side together in the worst of times, and in the best of times. Both had unbelievable trust in the other, and both had tremendous respect for the other. The two took a short moment to see the years and memories they'd shared in the form of generous smiles. The Hellsing Director broke the bond and cleared her throat as she lit a fresh cigar.

"General," she started out, "I'm glad you came."

"Upon your request," he said in a hoarse voice, "I had to."

She nodded, "I know you are retired, and I know that the Convention of Twelve is no longer a part of your line of work."

He chuckled, "Integra, the least I could do is come and give some guidance, some support. I heard whispers of this new organization; The Equilibrium of Humanity, as it were. They seem to be in dire need of vampires extinguished, judging by their name. But what I do not understand is why they would recruit Lord Ethridge to do grunt work, why they would choose someone from Hellsing."

"The idea confuses me as well," Integra nodded, taking in a full inhale of carcinogenic air, "Which is why I sent for you…" she paused.

General Walsh's expression turned to smug satisfaction, "I never believed you would ever ask for help; I know subtlety is not your strong suit."

She managed a half-smile, "Nor did I ever believe you would bask in my asking for it."

He coughed a raspy tone and cupped his throat, "Apologies, Sir." She nodded curtly, aware that he was humbled.

Integra placed her cigar in between her thumb and index finger, "It's an organization that has men everywhere, I assume. And judging by the time and effort on the chip and secrecy of it, the covering of tracks, Equilibrium has probably been under our noses for years."

"Indeed," he added, "Here is an organization that does so much, and has hidden it from us for so long. They're no half-baked lot, that much is for certain.* And yet what we truly know is so little."

"On top of that, nothing has been unearthed, and there have been no leads for weeks. All that has seemed to increase is the number of vampire incidents," she stood up and paced to the darkened window.

General Walsh remained seated and pulled out a cigarette of his own, "Hence, why you asked for me."

Integra turned around to face him, though her eyes would not look into his, "…Yes."

He nodded and lit the cigarette, leaning back in to the comfortable chair, "Well, I see a few things here."

Integra's face grew strained and her eyes weary, "Lord Ethridge was our lead...or so I thought. Which brings us to our problem: _dead ends_," she said with outward frustration.

"Right, and back to the few things I see. I see, objectively, an organization determined to defeat all vampires, I see trails leading to dead ends, and I see a Section XIII agent dropping you hints along the way…" he dragged the ending suspiciously.

Integra turned to him swiftly, "You're not suggesting that I stoop so low as to ask for _Heinkel's_ help."

General Walsh shifted in his seat, "Well, under normal circumstances, I'd say no. But this situation is anything but normal, and since she already did you the favor of tipping you off, you may need to seek her out. She knows more answers, and she could be willing to give them."

Integra sighed, "Yes, I know. I was hoping I would make it easier on the both of us by not working with each other. However, recent events have deemed it...almost logical to find her. After a stunt like that, I'm sure Section XIII is out to kill her, especially after she murdered Chief Makube."

"Have you looked into the reasons for his death?" General Walsh tried.

"Yes," The director answered, "Suspicious though they are, our attaché has been next to useless, and Iscariot has almost entirely shut us out. It seems as if they are having internal problems as well."

He chuckled, "The idea amuses me that you would need one another. Iscariot and Hellsing working together. Or, rather, just Heinkel and Hellsing working together."

Integra narrowed her eyes, "They wouldn't hesitate to double cross me as they did thirty years ago. Remember Maxwell?"

The general smiled, "Remember _Anderson_?"

The Iron Maiden paused, recalling the priest's words of disproval toward Maxwell's thirst for power and hiding behind God for it, as well as his chivalry towards bringing her home. A soft inward sigh fell upon those memories as she almost wished for him to return somehow, or at least the feelings of simplicity back in the good-old-days. But the feeling was fleeting as she shook her head and concentrated on the present.

"I do."

"And do you remember how he killed his boss, as Heinkel is doing now? Do you remember how Anderson disagreed with Maxwell and believed in something greater than the fate Maxwell brought to Iscariot?" he pointed out.

"What are you suggesting? That Heinkel learned something from Anderson? That she's following in his footsteps?"

General Walsh paused to cough off to the side, "I'm saying that Heinkel did learn something from Anderson, as all servants learn from their masters. She is following in Anderson's footsteps to achieve the ideals he stood for, whatever those may be."

Integra nodded slowly, letting his words thaw, "Yes, yes you're right."

"By the end, Anderson had gone rogue. He refused to follow Maxwell's orders of putting you under his custody, and he ordered his own men to take their lives for you. He _helped you_, Integra, he _protected you_, if only for a time," Walsh emphasized the last sentence.

"_I know that_," Integra stated tightly, "Now can we focus on matters more present?"

General Walsh eased back into his seat and grew quieter, "Of course."

Feeling slightly guilty, she added, "I will keep that in the back of my mind, General." ...not that she had _ever_ forgotten.

He nodded politely, "I would hope. Now, returning to matters more present."

"Master..." a deep voice called.

Integra slid back into her chair and gripped at her cigar. Alucard always interrupted her whenever it suited him, but his tone made her soon realize that there was grave news. She quickly mentally prepared herself for what was to come, "Enter, servant."

A cloud of darkness appeared, forming into a familiar figure of deep red and glowing eyes, "I have come to inform you of the mission."

Integra frowned, "I thought SAS would inform me."

Alucard, completely forgetting his master's comment, looked down at the guest chair and smiled, "General Walsh," he said with great weight, though it was coated with mockery.

The general grunted, standing slowly to his feet, "So you are back. The nightmare returns, and Hell with it."

The vampire grinned, "Glad to see you too."

"_Servant_," Integra cut in, "What do I need to know?"

Alucard walked closer to his master and stopped right before her desk, "There was a…shall we say…_manufacturing_ component to the vampires on this mission."

Integra stood up instantly and stared into goading eyes, "You will tell me exactly what you mean, **slave**," she threatened.

Alucard, loving that particular derogatory word she seldom used, leaned in to meet her and placed his hands daringly close to hers atop the table, "Of course, my master," he seductively purred and turned swiftly around to pace as Integra's face colored in different shades of many emotions , "I tasted one of the vampires' blood, and came to the realization with Seras that it had been manufactured, along with the others SAS and I attacked tonight."

"Manufactured," Integra whispered, as if she hadn't heard the word in years, "How…how bad?"

Alucard lifted his glasses from his pocket and toyed with them, "Enough from one specimen, which made me start to wonder how anyone could get a copy pure enough to begin manufacturing. One can't just use any vampire on the street. The only vampire closest to me was Mina, having shared my blood and I hers."

"She was destroyed in the bombings," Integra stated quickly for an answer.

"Yes, yes she was," Alucard reaffirmed, "But not all of the bodies were found after the explosion."

General Walsh looked between Integra and Alucard, "What are you suggesting? That one of the Nazi bodies was found and used to replicate more hastily prepared vampires?"

Alucard stopped pacing, "No. All of them were deployed onto the battlefield and were on the ground. The only ones left that I didn't consume were the ones Integra was specifically fighting in the Zeppelin."

"The only ones left on the Zeppelin were the Major, the Captain, Dok, and…" Integra turned around slowly with wide eyes filled with renewed pain.

Alucard grinned madly, wanting her to say it, "_And?_"

"And _Walter_," she whispered, not believing her own words, "But he was a copy of a copy! He was defective!"

"And all things defective die easily, too easily, just as the vampires did tonight. I recognize traces of Walter's blood in that vampire girl that I drained."

"So he's being used as a template to create more vampires," Integra stated with disgust, "Who would want to do that? Another party with similar wishes to create an army?"

"It could be anyone," Alucard reckoned.

"This could make for an entirely new problem that Hellsing has to deal with," General Walsh suddenly became more animated, either at the idea of this next journey being more exciting than he had originally thought, or that he might have to come out of retirement to help.

"I don't want to speculate," Integra stood up and headed for the door, "For those lacking actual business to perform…" she scrutinized Alucard and General Walsh for blithely throwing around unfounded ideas, "…might I suggest a visit to the Armory to help Albert with the investigation. We will not get answers mulling over the vague."

* * *

><p>Albert shuffled the stack of papers that claimed his desk. He took a moment to rub his strained eyes as he dug further and further into his Quantum Physics book. It had taken years to understand that there is still much to understand about the subject matter, and that didn't help when Alucard's question from weeks ago was still plaguing him.<p>

"…_but what do they intend to use to exterminate vampires?" Alucard grinned, "That's the real mystery."_

Albert groaned as his head pounded with every beat of his heart, "I don't know. I haven't the slightest idea of what they'd use to kill vampires. They're easy enough to kill with just a stake, a silver bullet, fire, decapitation; the choices are almost endless."

A thought occurred to him, _the choices are endless, which makes it more time and management to deal with than they want. They want to kill the vampire completely from this earth and restore peace and balance for humanity. But how can you possibly exterminate all vampires from this earth other than what Hellsing is doing? There can't be a faster way._

A ding from the computer sent Albert back to reality as he glanced up at the old cracked screen. He'd run the name Clarissa Boyd through the database of missing persons and got a hit. The butler zoomed in on the screen at the details of her police report.

"Missing a month ago, last seen leaving work, but neighbors confirmed she made it back to her loft…the next morning she didn't appear for work," Albert muttered the report aloud and the rest in his head.

He pulled up an email from a police officer, a friend, and read that these types of investigations increased tenfold in the past few weeks. The friend also sent similar reports as attached files to Albert. He paused as a thought struck him. The reports had increased tenfold in the past weeks. The past weeks in Hellsing had been heated, from investigating Convention members to SAS and to anyone else working with Hellsing. Albertglanced from the picture of Clarissa Boyd to the Quantum Physics book to the burnt note Heinkel 'dropped' at the pub.

Shaking off a rather disturbing thought, he hit the print button and cracked his neck. "Tonight's going to be a long one, Albert," he muttered.

"Not if I can help," Seras phased into the room, rueful smile and all.

Albert jolted forward and ruined his neatly stacked papers with a light gasp. He quickly tried to save them as they tilted and swayed, forgetting about preserving his dignity altogether. Clearing his throat, Albert slowly turned around and smiled. Both stared at the other for quite some time, drinking in the other's appearance. Seras was happy to see him smile, even though she knew it was forced.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," she tried.

He broke the gaze and turned his head around to face the computer, "Yes, well, work does that. You have your orders and I have mine."

Seras's smile fell, "Yes, I know…Is there anything I can do to help?"

Albert stood for a moment and considered saying something. Instead, he shook his head and sat back down at his Quantum Physics book, frowning at the ear-marked pages, flipping back and forth between chapters. Seras stood there, hopeless and feeling guilty about the last time he'd seen her and Alucard…

"I brought food, drinks for the both of us, and aspirin," she opened up bags that were secretively behind her back. A smile crept up her lips as she watched Albert's head snap back and stare at the sustenance. His stomach growled loudly.

She plopped down in the seat and spread out the food before him, "I made you two huge turkey sandwiches, brought you a coke, and tea for chasers. Now, what needs to be done?"

The butler couldn't help but smile back as a certain warmness entered his eyes again. He helped clear the chair and a space for her, "You always know what I need," he glanced back at the book, "Well, to be honest, I have a few things that need answering. I know that it would be cruel of me to ask this of you, but I have to contact a friend in the police department. Would you mind taking over this book for me?" he held up the physics book.

Seras stared at it like it had sprouted eyes and legs, "Uhh…"

"I've ear-marked everything that I've found useful. Just…" he sighed, "Just try to find anything in there that would suggest it could permanently kill Alucard."

She turned her confused stare to him and waited for his elaboration. He broke off a piece of the huge sandwich and fed it into his mouth, instantly feeling energy radiate through his body as he inhaled the next piece and took a swig of his coke can.

"Killing Alucard is just about as hard as killing every single damn vampire on the planet, which is the goal of the E.O.H," he explained, pausing to swallow another mouthful, "So, I'm trying to find what could possibly kill Alucard."

Seras took the book from him and opened it to the first page, "He is the exception; he's the one outlier that won't die by conventional vampire standards," Seras reminded him.

"I know. He can't be staked, burned, decapitated, scattered at a crossroads, shot with silver, or even drained. You see, he has passed immortality and arrived at invincibility. Being immortal just means that you don't manifest characteristics of aging; but one still can be killed. Invincibility means that you cannot be killed, that you are indestructable."

"I see," Seras nodded slowly and smiled, "Then if Alucard is invincible, why are you even looking for something that could kill him?"

Albert sighed in exasperation. He searched the room, as if trusting that the words would find him, "Out of hope. For this world and for him. I know it's like trying to, as they say, find a needle in a haystack; but I have to believe that there is something that can destroy him. The Equilibrium knows of Alucard's existence, and you can be sure that they'll find a–"

"But how do you know that?" Seras objected.

Albert lifted his eyebrows and measured her intellectual powers, "Because they had Lord Ethridge as an informant, their knowledge of Alucard's existence is highly likely, if not a complete reality, since Sir Integra organized a huge meeting informing them of Alucard's existence," he paused, giving the obvious implication time to ripen in her mind.

"_I_ see," Seras felt a light bulb switch turn on inside of her head, "So the Equilibrium has to worry about the entire race of vampires, but, more importantly, they have to figure out how to kill Alucard as well."

The butler nodded, gathering his thoughts, and began to pace around, talking to his library of book shelves as he passed them, "As I said to you earlier, he is quantum entangled with the rest of this world. In order to kill him, you'd probably have to destroy –" he abruptly stopped and his jaw dropped as he turned to her.

"_You'd have to destroy the entire world_," Seras stated quickly, already seeing the wheels turn in his mind.

"But," Albert shook his head and stopped himself short, "But even if the Equilibrium had _nukes_, they still would not do the trick! It may reduce Alucard to particles and sure it would kill thousands of vampires, but Alucard would still live on. He would still regenerate back so long as he chose to have his atoms in more than one place. Hell, part of him could be in Transylvania for all I know, and he could re-grow from there. All he needs is one."

Seras stared down at the book and began to flip through its pages. Albert, sensing no wind left in his wings, grounded himself by sitting back down at his seat and scooting forward to his computer, "The answer _still _eludes me…"

"You just need more time to think on it," Seras reassured him, her voice coated with confidence that sweetened to honey, "Eat some more," she pushed the forgotten food toward him again and began reading the book.

He took the rest of it and munched while he sent more emails, occasionally glancing back at Seras, secretly glad she was there.

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><p>*That was Walter's line in the 3rd Manga volume talking to Alucard.*<p>

O.O

Whaat? Destroying the world? An apocalyptic cult that's worse than Section XIII? Vampires on the rise? What fresh Hell is this? ...my mind at work, perhaps :)


	15. The First Attack: Waterborne

**A/N:** Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you all were still expecting an ending to this :P because it's coming. The climax, the finale, the coup de grace, if you will. It's all planned out. I just need to find the time to write it…eh…heh heh…but it's chronologically finished. Has been for a while.

To be completely frank, it took me a _while_ to get back interested in it because my reviews have been decreasing on this story. So sad :( what am I to do

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

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><p>The First Attack: Waterborne<p>

"How hmany hminutes?" Heinkel asked in her tight space as she fidgeted with the laser cutter.

Mark gave her a disgruntled look, "Geez, Heinkel. We've only been down here for half of an hour."

Heinkel swiftly turned to Mark in what uncomfortable space they had, "hThe hSeahawk's hengines hare hfaster hthan hthis hlittle hunk hof hmetal," She glanced out at the small trail of bubbles flowing up to the surface meters above them, "Hat hthis hpoint, hwe're hchasing her, hand hshe's hgot hthe hupper hand."

"No, and first of all, it's a DSRV-2 Avalon mini sub, and be thankful we have connections in the United States," Mark disagreed as he watched the screen of their craft and lowered the mini sub a few degrees, "The Seahawk contains more engines, but she's carrying special cargo, and the captain doesn't wish to look suspicious moving at 75 knots. We'll catch up to them."

"HI hswear hif hthey hmake hit hto hthe hSheet…" Heinkel started and gazed out at the deepening water.

"They _won't_," Mark reassured her as he tapped on the sonar screen and watched the green blip slowly move, "We won't let them get that far. I say another ten minutes and we'll see her back propellers. Then, we strike."

Heinkel's eyes darkened with murderous anticipation, "Hyes, hindeed."

* * *

><p>Alucard sat in his throne chair in the deepest pit of his dungeon. His hands were gently folded in his lap, his chin resting gently on his chest, and his shoulders slouching gently into his high chair. His eyes occasionally fluttered open, but the NoLife King was finding it hard to stay awake, despite the fact that it was nighttime. He mused and mulled quietly, the only sound dripping water within cracking rocks from the incoming summer rains and the dew that had begun collecting on the leaves of trees outside. The peaceful trickling sound almost lulled him into a sleep, but a rattling from beyond the door caused him to rouse and blink.<p>

"Come in, Police Girl," He need not even think of who it was.

A quiet groan from the door and the girl was inside swiftly closing it as fast as she had arrived. He turned his head away from trying to moon-gaze in what little light the cracked rock wall could spare for him until his eyes rested comfortably on her. Curious that she would still open doors when she could just as easily, no, more easily phase through them. But he gave up on even debating with her why she would continuously perform useless tasks that only remotely reminded her of what it was like to be human. Instead, the elder made a tired effort to smile.

"Master," Seras stated quietly, but not shyly to his surprise. The tone was more of worry.

This interested him enough for his eyes to fix on hers more, "What is it, little one?"

She fidgeted with her bangs and walked up silently to him, pulling up another abandoned chair, "Albert and I, well we've discovered what we think to be the Equilibrium's goal."

Alucard, now half-interested at hearing that name, nodded, already felt his thoughts wander elsewhere, "…Go on."

Seras sighed, sensing she no longer had his undivided attention, "They mean to kill every vampire on the planet, but they also have to find a way to kill you."

"I know this. Integra made it obvious that they wished to do this," He stated with some impatience.

"Yes…but the only way to kill you is to…well, probably destroy the world…is what we're guessing," She paused, watching Alucard's reaction.

"…Destroying the world to destroy me?" Alucard asked at a whisper.

His dull mahogany eyes awoke from their slumber as they began to glow warmer and warmer with an orange tint, hotter and hotter. His smile spread into a leer across his face and his lips parted, exposing rigid white fangs as a low chuckle rose from within his chest. It grew and grew, louder and louder until Seras could feel her own chest vibrate from his growing laughter. She could even feel the stone beneath her and the walls reverberate back and forth at his now maniacal cackling. He threw his head back as waves of them fell upon him, and he soon gripped at his stomach as it constricted him from breathing in to laugh once more. Fear would have overcome her entirely at this sight, had she been thirty years younger; but she would, on occasion, get a relatively similar response from Integra when an incompetent group attempted to end her life in the most ridiculous ways such as this. The two were more similar than they knew.

Alucard's eyes slowly softened and his laughter dulled to episodes of chuckles as Seras waited for the best moment to speak once more, or perhaps he'd speak and save her the trouble. She looked his insane facial expression over: the widened eyes, the leer deepening into malicious intent, the way his hair excitedly whipped around his head, and his jaw-line working. She was shocked to feel that it was almost…attractive to her…

"Surely, you jest, Police Girl," Alucard wiped at his eyes as one last chuckle escaped his lips, "I cannot be the main event of this match, not again."

Seras frowned, "I'm completely honest with you. They mean to kill every vampire, and the only way they're going to be able to do that is if they destroy the world. The way Hellsing is doing it is apparently too slow."

He stopped laughing entirely and his face went blank, revealing no hint as to what he was thinking.

"Master?" Seras felt herself become more and more uneasy.

"_Come_," He said with force, "Walk with me," He rose from his throne and, without pausing, phased through the rock wall to the outside.

Seras, without much choice, followed.

* * *

><p>Mark steadied the joystick as he leveled it with the bottom of the hull of the ship. Flipping on a few switches, he wiped away a bead of sweat falling down his face.<p>

"Hwould you hurry!" Heinkel pressed.

"In case you haven't noticed, our sub and their ship are MOVING! One misalignment with the controls and we crash into them or are sucked into their massive propellers that are RIGHT BEHIND US! It's even more risky than trying to land a Boeing 747 with one active engine on water, ok?" He shook angrily in his seat, "Just get ready to breach the hull and pray that the training I had in the US of mystic class deep submergence rescue has not been for nothing. I've a map of the inside, so we should be able to find The Chamber It is in and be able to deactivate It."

"Hgot it!" She shouted back as the noise from the ship grew immensely.

She packed her bag filled with low-grade explosives and held onto the laser cutter as they approached even closer. Mark inhaled slow and in deep breaths as he prepared the sub for boarding. He pulled up gently on the joystick and felt the machine respond as it shifted up. He pulled on it again and heard a thud on top of the roof of it.

"Dispatching Grappling hooks!" Mark yelled as he flipped another switch.

The screen panned out to a blueprint of the mini sub activating her hooks as they used a suction cup in its palm and magnets for its fingers. Four long arms attached themselves to the underbelly of the ship, but it wasn't until Mark received a green light on his monitor that everything had performed at optimal levels and had not malfunctioned that he sighed in relief and collapsed in his chair.

"That…" He wiped the rest of the sweat off of his face, "Was too cumbersome."

Heinkel threw a glock his way and nodded to the opening hatch, "Hlet's hgo hmake hourselves ha hlittle hatch hof hour hown hmaking, hshall hwe?"

Mark grinned as he turned on the laser cutter and watched his superior open the hatch. The paint of a partial number in green on the ship showed through as the water on the metal side began to drip down. Mark pulled the massive cutter up and forward in a circular motion, until the flame singed and began to melt away at the metal. Sparks from it glinted in Heinkel's eyes as she gazed at its power.

The sub groaned and creaked for a moment, swaying in the process, and Mark paused; but everything evened out and steadied just as quickly. He continued forward when the younger agent noticed that the metal was beginning to sag under gravity. He ceased with the laser cutter and handed it carefully to Heinkel. Looking back up vertically at the nice circular scar, he mentally patted himself on the back and prodded the metal. It gave almost instantly as a rush of air from the inside of the ship blew past his face. Heinkel anxiously pushed through to pass him and peek out.

Her eyes were level with the ground floor as she inspected the area. Coming to the conclusion that no one was present, she noticed the fortuitous place in which they were instantly. The engine room.

Grinning, she climbed out of the hole and onto the ground, shifting her guns and her sack comfortably around her waist. Mark, shortly after, joined her. He looked baffled as he took in his surroundings and perused his map.

"I don't understand. According to my blueprint of the ship," Mark scratched his head confusingly, "The Chamber should be through that door, but instead we have the engine room? What is this madness?"

"Hon hthe hcountrary, hMark," Heinkel began strapping C-4 to various parts of the room, "Hthis his ha hmost hfavorable hplace hto hstart hand hfinish hat hthe hsame htime."

"What, on this green earth, do you possibly mean?" Mark quietly started to despair.

"Hwe hcould hdisable hthe hengine hroom, hthus hoverheating hThe hChamber holding hIt hin, hand hexploding hIt hithout heven having hto hnow hgo hout hand hsearch hfor hwhere hthey hare hiding hIt."

"Plant explosives in the engine room to deactivate the super cooling-conducting liquid helium that is fed to It through tubes, and thereby destroying the magnetic containment field of The Chamber as it overheats and self-destructs? That's brilliant!" Mark picked up his share of C-4 and started the timers.

Heinkel set the timers as well and kissed each one, "Hyou are hdoing hgreat hthings, hmy hfriends."

"What is your timer set for?" Mark asked as he fiddled with the wires.

"6 minutes," She answered him and reached for her gun as a man entered the room.

Firing the trigger without even glancing up, the man instantly fell to the floor, dead. Mark flinched, but continued his work. Heinkel kicked the door closed once more and jammed it.

"Hno hone hill hstop hmy hplans hfrom hgoing hforward," She murmured and continued to set the timers.

With one switch in her pocket, she activated the timers and watched them 'green light' on. Chuckling, the agent began flipping switches within the engine room frantically, and in the process messing up its controls. The room almost immediately began flashing red lights and flaring alarms which only confused them further in figuring out which order needed to be executed first. Turning the dials on maximum on each of the separate panels caused the entire ship to come to a dead halt. The abrupt cessation of propeller movement threw Heinkel and Mark forward and to the ground a few feet away.

"Heinkel! That's enough! I think every passenger on here now knows that something has taken a drastic turn for the worse and is now probably headed our way," Mark rubbed a growing bump on his forehead as he picked himself up.

She giggled as she concealed the switch-button that had activated the timers within the folds of her cloak and brushed her hair aside, "Hlet's hget hout hof here."

No sooner had those words been spoken when they both heard slamming on the door and shouts beyond it. Heinkel gathered up her possessions and hopped back down the hole. Mark took one last look around the room and hopped back into the mini sub as well. As he climbed down the stairs, he noticed Heinkel already making the preparations to depart.

"Heinkel, I have to close the hatch first," Mark frantically gripped the top of it and swung it down tightly, sealing it in the process.

"Hwe hare hon ha htime hlimit," Heinkel rushed as she activated the propellers of the mini sub and detached the grappling hooks.

The machine instantly floated in the water and sped to the side away from the ship. She controlled the joystick and cranked it to the side. The mini sub barrel-rolled horizontally and threw Mark against the walls. Once they were free of the hull, Heinkel pressed the detonator and heard a loud rumble, the sound of multiple bombs setting off vibrated the very water they were in as a flash of white and red erupted in the water; the ship slowly sunk back on its side and groaned. Mark turned around and looked out of the small window provided and smiled at the gaping hole they had created.

"You do realize that if we had just used the laser cutter and then left, the ship would be sinking anyway," Mark reminded her.

"Hyes," She nodded and pressed the joystick forward, "Hbut hwe hcouldn't hafford hto have hthem hhget hany hcloser hto htheir hdestination. Hwe had hto hstop hthem here. Hbesides, Hi hwanted hto hmake ha hstatement."

"Uh…" Mark noticed lights from within the ship malfunctioning, "Heinkel, they are using every current of electricity from within the ship to power The Chamber."

"Hthe hengine hroom has hno hdoubt hgone hto hshit, hand hthe hemergency hbulkheads hare hnow hactivating hto hmake hsure hthat hno one hcan henter hthe hroom has hit hfloods hover."

Mark scoffed, "You don't think they're sending an SOS, or could possibly survive this…?"

Heinkel was about to answer that she actually did not know when she noticed that the entire ship started to sink at a faster rate. One-man pods shot out from her sides as crew members tried to flee. Heinkel pressed the joystick down until it was completely flat against the counter-top and felt the mini sub dive down.

"Hi hthink hwe have hour hanswer!" She braced herself as the machine lunged vertically straight down.

"Heinkel? How far down can this DSRV-2 take us?" Mark bent down on his knees as he could feel the floor slide from underneath his feet.

"Hit hcan htake hus down hto 1500 meters, or 5000 feet," She concentrated, "Hbut hit's hnot hthe hdepth hwe hshould hconcern hourselves hwith. Hit's hwhether hor hnot hwe'll hget hto hthat hdepth hin htime."

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you. When The Chamber finally loses control of the super coolant and shuts down, how fast until the explosion?" He asked nervously.

"Hwithin hmilliseconds," Heinkel answered as the mini sub began to shake from the quickening pressure increase, "hSo hif hwe haren't hfar henough hdown, hwe'll hknow hbecause hwe'll hget hvaporized hinstantly."

* * *

><p>A sharp breeze whisked her molecules in a frenzy as they tried to solidify into her figure. She hastily tightened them to help and soon felt herself forming properly. The breeze continued to slap at her face when Seras suddenly felt instantly comfortable. Taking in the beautiful surroundings, she felt her power strengthen at the sight of the moon right above her head. She inhaled the crisp air and sensed her master beside her, his warm connection to her mind ever sweetening her mood.<p>

"High moon; it's at its peak," He murmured, "This is when we are strongest."

Seras nodded in agreement, already feeling more energized now that they were out of the cobwebs of the mansion. It was upon this moment that Seras remembered the long strolls she would take at night long after Albert and Integra were fast asleep. It was a moment out of her day where she could reflect in peace and solitude, away from the happenings of Hellsing. One of those nights was the time that Alucard had broken through her shadows, and the fond memory crept back into her mind as they began to walk.

"You were elated to see me," He remembered as well, already grinning at her betrayed look as he had violated her privacy by entering and reading her mind. But in truth, he needed only to look at her face.

Seras sighed, "I don't miss many things, among them being turned into a vampire, but…" She hesitated, "I did miss being a vampire with you."

Alucard smiled, "Whether it was because of my predacious nature or of the fact that I was such a better example of a monster that you did not need to feel nearly as bad for your own situation?"

Seras stifled a laugh by coughing, "You were worse than I was, and I cannot deny that that made me feel less of a monster."

His expression changed once more from one of egotistical confidence to one of hurt, "You don't miss being turned into a vampire?" He suddenly remembered the first half of her statement.

"No."

"Did my immortal kiss not suffice in awakening your deepest desires locked away in that pretty little head of yours?" He asked with tainted humor.

Seras, in that statement, felt herself go from allured to repulsed by his ending sarcasm and sardonicism. "A condescending tone suits you, master, don't get me wrong, but not when you're attempting to get me to agree with you."

"Hence the sarcasm," He dully replied.

"You're incorrigible!" She spat and began to walk away, now noticing the softness of the grass beneath her boots.

He grinned, though it had a sad hint to it, "I suppose you'll walk out on your master when he wishes solely to walk with you."

Seras paused and cursed at herself and the way his voice always manipulated her feelings, turning around and staring back into his hypnotic eyes, "I see fit to it when the conversation loses its meaning."

"Careful," He mockingly warned, "Any more bitterness to that comment and you will begin to sound like me."

"According to Integra, I already _act_ like you," She growled with accusing eyes. But instead of his eyes lighting up in glee, his face stayed expressionless.

"I wish only to walk with you," He stressed, "Is that too much of a burden?"

Seras double took at his answer. No retort? No mocking snort? Not even a predacious wink? He just stood there motionless and wanting to walk with her? She began to wonder if something was wrong with him, or that he had not drunk anything in a long while. Seras felt her face lower into a concerned frown as she probed his stance. Nothing looked particularly wrong or out of place, and his face looked rather calm. But Seras wasn't about to give into his will. She stood her ground, cueing him to walk over to her. It was a dominance thing, and surprisingly, he did meander her way. Both paused to look at the other and then continued on their stroll. His fledgling bounced around ideas in her head to keep him talking. Hearing him berate her was tolerable, but walking next to him in utter silence was unbearable. At least when he spoke she could get a peek into what his mind was churning up. Only one topic remained, and she knew he probably wouldn't answer her.

"I can only imagine what you think of the Equilibrium, but I would very much like to know what you think of what they're going to do to stop you," Seras glanced at him for a moment. He looked elusive.

"That organization means nothing more to me than what Millennium meant to me, but I cannot settle a struggle that is now growing inside of me," He added in an almost inaudible voice, to her surprise.

"A struggle?" She asked, hoping this train of thought would reach its destination before Alucard derailed it.

He stopped and gazed at the edge of the gate and to the woods to the north. Looking to the horizon, he seemed wise as the wind gently picked up his locks, "There have been many things Hellsing has faced over the course of its existence, but I have lived centuries before Hellsing, and what is about to happen is beyond anything that we both have ever had to face and conquer before. The Major wanted to destroy me, but not the world. This time, the Equilibrium does not even care if it kills the entire planet. Do you even know what they are doing?"

Seras looked at him in confusion, "Of course I know what they are doing."

_"They are curing the disease by killing the patient_. The world is the infected patient, the infection vampires, and the cure whatever it is that they plan on using against us to rid us of existence, Police Girl," He hatefully spat.

"And?" She pressed.

"And that is something that I will not allow to have happen," Alucard stated with finality.

Seras blinked in confusion once more, "What? I mean, you seem so vehement, so zealous about this…you never cared this much before…" Since when did he struggle with himself? Since when did he trouble himself with getting tangled up in morals?

"I cannot let him destroy all _humanity_," The elder shook his head, "Vampires, I can understand, that's normal; but humans? You destroy too many of those and vampires won't exist at all. It would discontinue the perpetual warring between the two species. Everything glorious about war and conflict would end. They are a valuable resource and there is..." He stopped.

"There is hope for them," Seras finished and turned her gaze from the forest to his eyes. They looked stricken, as if torn from feeling too many emotions that were rising up that he had not dealt with in centuries.

"There is always hope for humans. There always has been. I may be insane and want to watch the world burn, but the extinction of the human race in order to kill vampires goes too far," He dared to bare his teeth at his mistress: the moon.

"Careful," Seras mockingly warned, "Anymore heart-felt feeling to that comment and you will begin to sound like _me_."

"Do not mistake ardor for caring. I merely disagree with their execution of their choice," He said with indifference, but Seras could have _sworn_ that his eyes betrayed him for a moment.

"Of course," She tried to sound convincing, and sensed that the conversation was beginning its end, "Well I'm always here if you need to get anything off of your chest," She said with alacrity.

He scoffed, "Implying that I needed help with something in the first place."

"Master," She put one arm on his shoulder, "Even you have needs that are long overdue," She paused as she realized the hidden meaning of her sentence. Slapping her forehead in a face-palm, Seras watched him instantly take advantage.

His eyes radiated an orange glow at her words, "Indeed," He stated in a deep voice accompanied with a sly grin.

"Ugh," She shook her head shamefully, "Forget I _ever_ said that. I must be feeling the full moon tonight."

"A vampire's senses and…desires…are elevated on a full moon to the highest extent," Alucard said and nodded to her, "I have…an inclination to do something tonight."

Seras cocked her head to the side in confusion, "What do you mean?"

He turned to her and grinned in disbelief, "You're telling me that you never, in all of your years in defending Hellsing, never once ventured off the premises? Not even for one night?"

Seras averted her eyes, "I did once, but that was on a follow-up investigation that we thought would lead to a possible assassin years ago. And we got him."

"No, no," He waved a disappointing hand at her, "I'm talking about leaving the premises for a whole night to explore and hunt."

Her eyes widened, "Never! Did you ever do such a thing?"

Alucard's smile widened, "It took them years to figure it out, but Integra already had an inkling. I would sneak out at night on the full moon to explore London at night. I would oft lay on someone's roof and night-dream about what it would have been like, had I conquered all of London...Envisioning my dominion and all of its wonders...controlling this entire country...Oh, the memories…" He sighed as his eyes unfocused on a point in the distance.

Seras began to silently tip-toe away from him when his eyes snapped to her.

"Suit yourself," He vanished.

She blinked and spun wildly around only to find him halfway across the field on his way to the Hellsing Manor gates. She gasped angrily and raced off to catch up with him, unsure whether or not to be angry or to laugh hysterically.

"M-master!" She shouted as he disappeared around a corner, "Oh, that _man_!"

* * *

><p>"Our descent is too fast!" Mark yelled to her as he saw the windows begin to crack, "Pull <em>UP<em>!"

"No!" Heinkel refused, "HIf hwe hdon't hdive hfast henough, hwe hdie. hIf hwe hdo hdive hfast henough hwe hdie htoo. hBut hthere his ha hchance hthat hshe hwill hpressurize! hWe hmust hrisk hit!"

Outside of the submarine, the ship groaned as all systems began to malfunction. Men and women shouted orders into the intercom, ordering the remaining crew to abandon ship. Officers and scientists raced around The Chamber frantically as the sphere that was suspended in scaffolding began to sway back and forth. The magnets on every crosshatch contained the particles within it, but as the liquid helium tubes ceased distributing the necessary coolant, the magnets started to shut down one by one.

Individual deadly particles that maintained themselves within a spherical ball began to bounce freely around the failing Chamber. As soon as they touched something, it was destroyed. As more magnets turned off, scientists began to scream in horror as more particles released out into the room, completely swallowing up control panels and walls of the room.

"System failure, system failure. Malfunction, malfunction," The computer reiterated, "Recommending evacuation, recommending evacuation."

"Noo!" One scientist shouted.

"Power levels at 50%...power levels at 45%...power levels now dropping to 30%...power levels at 25%...recommend immediate evacuation…"

"Everyone get off the ship! She's gonna explode!" Another shouted.

The room rapidly increased temperature to a scalding degree as the remaining magnets failed and the containment field broke completely free, exposing the deadly particles to matter outside. They instantly reacted and exploded within the ship, causing a chain reaction.

And suddenly, the ship exploded in a blinding fury of white light in a mile in all directions. Everything was vaporized within a second, including the water beneath the ship as well, and anything containing matter within that radius was instantly gone. The blinding light arced upward and into the atmosphere like a white inferno as a massive swath in the form of a bowl was carved in the sea. But now with the ocean vaporized in all directions for a mile, the water rushed in to fill the void. Unfortunately, a small mini sub was caught in the crossfire.

"_HEINKEL_!" Mark screamed as his hands burned from touching the metal of the DSRV. Its outsides had superheated to the explosion and he watched the paint literally lift off of the machine.

"HANG HON!" Heinkel yelled over her shoulder, noticing that there was air now beneath them.

The sub then began to drop the last hundred feet back into the water as gravity pulled it back to the earth. It plummeted into the liquid and steadied itself abruptly, but threw its passengers around the hold.

Mark rubbed another bump forming on his forehead but wanted to kiss the DSRV for keeping him alive, "Oh my GOD! We caught air! The explosion was over a mile in radius! The sub only went to 5000 feet, so we caught air as it caught up with us! Did you see it? It vaporized the paint off of the mini sub! Had we not been in water which absorbed most of the wave, or been any closer, it would have destroyed the metal!"

"Hnow his hnot hthe htime hto hcelebrate!" Heinkel slammed the controller forward once more as she dove violently down again.

Just before Mark asked why, he saw the now massive tidal waves rushing in from every direction to fill in the absence of the water.

"AHHH! **HEINKEL**!"

* * *

><p>AAAHHHH We're all gonna die!...or, maybe just them two.<p>

Okay, for all who are a little confused: the explosion was 1mi in radius, which includes up into the air and down into the water, thus creating a massive bowl of air as it vaporized the water completely off of the ocean. As a result, the water then would come rushing in to fill the void of empty space.

The mini sub goes only to 5000 ft, but a mi is 5280 feet, so the explosion would have actually hit them, causing the water underneath the sub to vaporize still, and consequently them catching air as they fell the last hundred to two hundred feet down to where the water now started.

However, there are also massive tidal waves closing in in all directions as well as the water itself being lifted up since water is denser than air and all that.

Hopefully that cleared things up; it's actually _really_ hard to write this and try to make sense at the same time, so I hope that made it a little better.

And this chapter is subject to change a little if I can.

And I think it's high time that someone in that mini sub started to pray…


	16. Unprepared

**A/N:** Wow. It's been a while. I was having some fun over there with the medieval story I've been working on, but I can't forget this baby. It's time to post this, whether I like it or not. I'm actually quite nervous, but hopefully I'll find my footing again with this one.

Scene changes aplenty in this chapter. You've been warned.

And, as always, chapter is subject to change. God, help me if I do.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_, in any way, own Hellsing or the characters in it. It is owned by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Manga, and any other business or people who assisted in creating these fascinating characters!

.•*´¨`*•.

Unprepared

"So," Seras giggled, "This is your secret spot," she scanned the tops of the buildings and let her eyes trail along the Thames.

Alucard lay back onto the rooftop and stretched his legs out, "Ahh…yess," he grinned and inhaled deeply, "Many a time did I come here for solace and comfort."

His fledgling watched him nestle comfortably into the tiles of the roof with some amusement and decided to lie down next to him, shoulder-to-shoulder. It had been a long time since she had seen him this relaxed -not that he was _ever_ on edge. That was more of Integra's job. But in this scene he looked especially at ease. With nothing to do for the first time at night, no orders to be completed, the two of them just enjoyed their time.

She could see the London Eye, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and even St. Paul's Cathedral if she squinted her eyes. Alucard thanked the quiet image as there were no humans around; there was the occasional ruckus from a few bumbling idiots that stumbled out of a pub, but their laughter and noises of retching could easily be tuned out by their ears.

He pointed to the abbey, "There is where I would have been crowned your king," he moved his finger to the Houses, "I would have burned _that_ to the ground and erected a castle in its stead-"

"What? Why?"

Alucard looked at her, amused, "Police Girl, it represents everything that an overlord ruler would hate. I demanded total reign. I never deferred to my subject's wishes, or the nobles, or officers, and I certainly would not for elected officials. I was the Law, Word, and Truth. Erecting a castle where it lay ashen would prove my point, don't you think?"

She groaned, "Well…Guy Fawkes would have approved the dismemberment of it, but you would not have gone far before being stopped."

"Please," he stated in disgust, "Petty guards were no match for me," he continued cheerfully, "I would garrison this like a fort, put patrol guards on every street corner, and be entertained by weekly beheadings. My streets would be running with blood frequently to remind the people of what they would have forgotten."

Seras dared to ask, already noticing his eyes lighting up wildly to his dreams, "What would they have forgotten?"

"That their lives are a privilege to live, not a right; that they have their freedom in exchange for their silent, obedient cooperation; that they have no choice but to obey the law and conform, or perish by the headman's ax," his voice grated out in a low, monarchical ring.

"And what of justice, temperance, and mercy? They are more than just words in the dictionary. They define a true king from a tyrant. A true ruler never seeks war, he is simply prepared for it," Seras countered.

"My, you _do_ have my strong blood in you," he regarded her proudly, "But I never said I was not a tyrant, my little one. You'll find one day that _alone_ a person is smart, cunning, calculating, and brave. _People_ are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you would know better than most from your Police Academy training. If you can succeed in subjugating a large enough crowd, everyone else falls in line and you have only the exceptional pests to worry about in comparison."

She gave him a contemptible glance, but he failed to notice, his face transfixed on the imagined vision. Seras let out an exasperated sigh and relaxed her body back into the tiles. She only had a fraction of his blood in her, that is, until he decided to turn Seras fully into his Draculina. His blood was strong, so strong she sometimes did feel the urge to fight battles in downtown London day in and day out. There were even days where she had to force herself to stop hunting, else it seemed the chase would consume her, or her mind…or both. She could only imagine the intensity that Alucard experienced. She had a much lower concentration compared to him.

"Now you understand why I would occasionally slip out undetected," he read her mind, "Escape is so very tempting. So help me if it weren't for the seals, I'd be able to," Alucard lamented.

"You don't mean that," Seras stated sharply, though she said it more to convince herself than to disagree with him.

"Don't I?" he asked, "I am the NoLife King, little one. I am your creator. _The_ creator. The _King_ of Vampires. The most dominant of them all. And yet I was saddled and bridled by and for the Hellsing Organization. Every vampire would long to roam free again -even you," he gestured out to the open horizon, as if it were beckoning him, "My body will forever wish to be free of this hateful indenture."

"Master!" she reacted as if what he said was sacrilegious, "Please, stop thinking that way."

He closed his aged eyes, suddenly aware of the weight his old form had on the less-than-comfortable rooftop, "Police Girl…my body is _old_, my spirit all but worn away to nothing, cast into the pit of damnation. Integra knows this. I know this. I am _tired_, and someday in the near future I will need to leave. I will need to return to my homeland and be buried there once more. We all know that you are to take over operations here at Hellsing."

Seras reached for his arm, as they both lay there, and gripped it with all of her strength, "_Not. Yet_."

He looked into her round blue eyes and sensed fear and doubt crowd her mind. She had absolutely no confidence that she could run the place, despite thirty years of material that would severely disagree. Now that he was back, Seras was doubting herself once more. Doubting, yes. Fully submissive, mewling slave? No. She was decidedly different now, and Alucard guessed if he pushed hard enough she would be ready. For everything.

"I love this moment," Seras whispered, trying to forget his earlier comments, "This is just perfect. The lighting of dawn almost approaching, the quiet, and only a small breeze to accompany one's thoughts…it's quite surreal."

"To allay your fears," he side-tracked, playing with a small tress of her hair absentmindedly, "We all know you are capable -well, all but you, apparently."

She hemmed and hawed for a moment before finally smiling at him, "That may be so, but that doesn't mean I want you to leave so soon," he felt her grip tighten on his arm even more.

Alucard's head turned to magnify his content stare onto her, "Am I to understand you wish for me to overstay my welcome?"

Seras grunted disapprovingly at that statement. He had overstayed his welcome five lifetimes over, at the very least. "If by 'overstay' you mean remain where you are needed, then yes. We all still need you. Sir Integra needs you. Hellsing needs you. London needs you. Hell, the _world_ needs you now," she nudged his shoulder as they lay together, "But, most importantly, I need you."

He followed up with tisk noises, clearly disappointed, "Police Girl, what have I taught you about human feelings? You resist my teachings in that regard over everything else, even blood-drinking. What possesses you so?"

She whispered softly then, knowing that the truth had to finally reach the surface, "_You,_" she cleared her throat, appalled at herself, "I mean you and your damn blood."

Alucard blinked a couple of times before his facial features animated, "Well, my charm and bravado is known all throughout the heartland, but, if I were a guessing man, I'd say you just started to sound like a true bride of Dracula." He looked upon her in a new light as he propped his head up with an arm.

She had maturely beautifully, his ambitious and power-crazed blood becoming more potent with each passing year. He could smell it on her, and what a glorious scent she radiated. Like wine, her blood would only become ripened with age and maturity. Furthermore, she was speaking to him almost as if he were an equal, and she was certainly acting as such. Even still, it wasn't possible for her to mature into his final bride, was it?

Was it… _time_?

Seras wriggled on the tiles for a moment as she watched him scrutinize her, feeling a sudden urge to justify her reasoning, though she hardly had to, "I…You are my master. We have a deeper connection than the seals on your hands which condemn you to an undead life of servitude. With that connection come…feelings. Strong feelings. They grow stronger as a vampire fledgling matures, master. You know this."

"Strong enough for master and servant to eventually become bonded by night, by freedom, by their own will, of their own accord, of their own volition. Their souls bound to writhe in eternal agony in the fiery pits of Hell, forever intertwined," Alucard's eyes darkened with each passing sentence. He looked at Seras with a challenging smile, his whole body rising in animation as he sat up and fully faced her.

Seras noticed instantly his change in demeanor and sat up herself, "I…I want this," her voice raised as the end, almost like it was a question, "I want to be with you forever, master, so that when Integra dies you and I will still have each other."

He leaned in closer and inhaled slowly, "We would be together, not as master and servant, but as King and Queen."

"Of what?" she asked as innocently as possible.

His grin was the only answer. "Are you sure you want this?" It had been roughly one hundred and fifty years since he had last attempted to fully convert a fledgling, but to truly know if Seras was ready he had to agree and gauge her reaction. If she wasn't ready, she would pull out, and he sensed her hesitation.

"I think-" her gaze flew to the horizon, "I think on the eve of battle, a battle we both sense is coming, the mind becomes clear. I want this more than anything. I wish to be with you for the rest of time," Seras told him the truth. And it was true. Throughout her whole vampiric existence she had desired to finally be regarded as his equal and remain at his side for the rest of his undying life. Were she not his fledgling, she would not perpetually be battling her erupting emotions for him. She had pushed them aside thus far, with only a minor breach in bringing her feelings to his attention the night he had returned, and had decided to face the situation instead of repress it.

Alucard felt his fangs lengthen as his form towered over hers. His body screamed at him to take her for his, finally. His cravings flared inside as her words were tinder to his desires' flame. Alucard inched closer to her until his face was not an inch from hers, "Say it. _Again_."

Simmering eyes watched as she stammered for a moment, unsure of what specifically was about to happen. Her instincts told her to jump out of the way, because the longer she stayed immobile the sooner he seemed ready to pounce. A part of her wanted this, but the other part scolded at her for awakening the beast. Seras knew she wanted her master -maturity could account for that. However, she did not have his ambitions, she did not have his desires to rule over anything with lethal force, and she did not want to be his Queen. She just wanted him. If that meant she had to take him on, then so be it, but she would have to be as strong as him.

"I want to be your bride, master."

A deep, feral growl exited Alucard's lips as he took hold of her shoulders suddenly, "And who am I?"

Seras saw her own reflection in the pupils of his hollow eyes, but all she saw was a madman who had lost everything hundreds of years ago. A madman who had killed thousands. A madman who had killed his own people, who had killed his own brides, who had forsaken everything and tossed away his own life as a bonus. Insanity was _bred_ in his mind, so potent that it poisoned others with its touch, poisoned minds like Integra's. The knight brought much welcomed bloodshed, but it was Alucard's mind that marred hers into thinking that the ends _truly_ justified the means. It was his mind that convinced her to use him unsparingly, mercilessly, heartlessly, ruthlessly, and relentlessly.

After all, he was nothing but a tool to be used. He was nothing and everything, for Integra needed him every day of her existence as well. Were it not for Alucard's existence, the Hellsing Organization would have perished long ago. He meant nothing and everything. To everyone. And he especially meant everything to Seras.

It didn't matter to her that he was beyond redemption, that his soul was bound to Hell, that he was the closest thing on this earth to Satan incarnate. None of those things mattered the instant he took Seras's blood and formed a bond to her. To Seras, only Alucard's existence mattered. As long as he was, she was whole. Madman or not. Sane or insane. And perhaps his blood within her was talking, but she would have him either way.

Seras closed her eyes, "You are my master, Count Dracula."

She barely formed the sentence when she felt his body press against hers, easing himself on the tiles as he gently righted her underneath him.

Seras watched him gaze intently down at her, one hand holding her head up gently and the other resting on her hip. She numbly placed her hands on his forearms, weary of what was to happen next. Waiting for his move was torturous. He lay there on top of her, not in an uncomfortable way but proving his dominance over her. His predacious grin to her submissive gasp only further proved his status even more. He explored her body freely, starting with contact to her mouth as it dove upon hers. Although taken by surprise, Seras did not appear to mind in the least. In response, her hands furled his shirt in their clutching, iron grip as she held on, battered at the same time by both his deep kisses and the whirlwind of emotions trying to take ground inside her.

"M-master?" she murmured against his lips.

"Don't speak, Seras," he distracted her question away using her name.

She wished to rip her mouth from his, to come up for air, to break away, but the commonality between all of those wishes was that she did not need to, and, the further the heated moment unfolded, the less she wanted to. Alucard pulled back and began planting smoldering kisses along the nape of her neck and down to her collarbone. Seras intertwined her fingers into his black locks, watching her master kiss her as if he wanted to consume her. She was receptive to his delicious touches and strokes, but a sudden urge to disobey her master's response -oddly common these days- caused a hiss from her. She had had enough orders directed at her in such a pejorative fashion.

"Wait. Stop. N-no. Don't tell me what to do," she gripped his arms and tried to pry them off.

"Shush, little one," Alucard snarled and tightened his grip until she raked him across the face with taloned nails. He was struck by her behavior and paused for a moment, giving her time to shove him off and sit up with inhuman speed.

"I've had _enough_!" she wiped off his intoxicating taste and gained some semblance of space, "You! You are belittling, derisive, derogatory, adverse, disagreeable, abusive, insolent, and damn offensive! You just swat me away like I am a child. I won't stand for it any longer! I have done what you could not! I have saved the Hellsing Organization from imminent collapse, I have saved Integra more times than you have a care to know, I have assured safety and peace for the Royal family, and I have done ALL of this ALONE," she shouted, unsure why she brought this up...probably to prove herself to her master in some way.

Alucard chuckled in derision, "What you have just described I have done for the Hellsing family for _generations_."

"Yet you know _nothing_ of what it is to be someone's fledgling! You have no conception of what it is to be beneath someone. Yes, you are a servant to Sir Integra, but you were a grown vampire by the time you had met her -had been for hundreds of years. You hang on Sir Integra's every word out of your...your manly cravings," Seras choked on a sentimental lump in her throat and scooted away from him further, "You lust unconditionally, you tossed your heart and soul to the Devil, and your one passion is ambition to a fault. What you truly crave is pain. It's the only thing left that you _feel_. You enjoy the pain Sir Integra gives you, sadomasochist, but the other, more normal ones of upbringing, of which I am a part, rather appreciate being treated like an equal," she glared at him with clenched fists and bared teeth. When he began to grin, she felt like tearing his face to shreds.

"You must earn your equality, Police Girl. Clearly you have forgotten the process," he shook his head, "Equality is a privilege, not a right, and especially not when you want to ascend to your master's level."

Seras swallowed back the last of the lump, calming herself, and nodded, "...I understand. But I want you to know this: if there is anything that you have taught me, it is that in your absence I was able to survive without you. I am _choosing_ to be with you because I _want_ to be with you, not because you ordered me. I am here of my own volition, and I can leave just the same."

He smirked at her, beckoning the girl with his finger in a hook-like motion, "Indeed, yet here you sit."

She looked straight to her master and reflected his expression back, "Ha! And here _you_ sit, as well. You _want_ me to stay with you. I can see it. I can _sense_ it."

Alucard's expression turned muddled for a moment, but his eyes darkened, "I will want you when you have proved yourself worthy of my company as an equal, fledgling. Until then, you shall remain beneath me."

Seras tensed her muscles for a moment at the insult, but then she relaxed, warming up to the challenge, "Alright, my master," she grinned back at him, "Bring it."

He snapped tantalizingly, crouching in a poised position ready to tackle her, when the elder paused in mid-act.

She hesitated as well, releasing her glare and focusing on the sky above. A wave of blazing energy struck Alucard's mind suddenly as he jerked up onto his knees. Seras, a second later, gasped and followed suit, desperately trying to concentrate and locate the source.

"Did you feel– OH MY GOD!" she shielded her eyes as a flash of blinding white light burned her retinas along with a crack that near destroyed her ear drums.

The explosion lasted a few seconds and the light flickered out like a candle in the wind. Alucard hadn't covered his eyes, and when he turned around to find Seras, he blinked to find eye-cells peeling off. They instantly shed away like a snake, and he was healthy once more, but the respite was short-lived. Both of their keen sixth senses combined noticed nature and the environment around them shudder for a moment of soundless din that erupted and shook the environment in a gripping escalation that both felt resonate in their bodies. The light forewarned of what was to come.

He instinctively reached for his fledgling, "Police Girl."

"Yes?"

Seras wiped her eyes as she saw birds from every tree branch all around panic in an uproar of squawking as they made a mass exodus out of London and migrated to the east. It was accompanied by the shrieks and wails of dogs, cats, and horses who could not accompany them.

"I think we had better get back to the mansion. _Now_," he phased into thin air.

.•*´¨`*•.

Albert tossed and turned in his bed until the dream caused him to shoot up in his covers. He gasped for air and clutched his chest as he shivered. The dreams were getting increasingly worse. He sat there for a while just concentrating on breathing and felt his pulse slow down back to normal levels. Checking his handy pocket watch, he noted the time and pulled out his journal to make another entry of the episode.

But in the process of placing his journal back into its drawer after writing, a small object fell out and to the floor. He paused to look at it, only to have memories flood his mind. It was small and circular with a glass plate in the middle, and a chain attached to it -a monocle. The only thing left of his grand uncle's that he was allowed to have. He remembered the day Integra gave it to him, as she had found it after the Great Battle of London.

He thumbed it for a moment and smiled. Even though he knew of the great treachery his relative had done, the new butler never stopped loving his grand uncle. Albert remembered the visits that he would get on Christmas from the old man, the presents, and the never-ending cards and money he received for each birthday. He was almost a surrogate father to Albert, and he never forgot how every little bit helped his education.

The old man may have betrayed his country and Hellsing and the Protestant Church and the Crown, but that did not take away all of the good that he had done over his life.

Albert sighed, disgusted with his cliche thought process, and tossed the object back into the drawer on his nightstand. He yawned and stretched his limbs out. It was 4:00AM, and time to rise for the day. The sun had yet to appear, but this was normal for the young man as he slipped out of his pajamas and fumbled around in his closet for a pair of slacks. Throwing the pair on his bed, he opened the curtains and the shutters to his small window. The glass was freezing as he pressed two fingers gently on it.

"Today is just as another d– WHAT THE HELL?" he shouted as a blinding white explosion on the horizon blurred his vision for a few seconds and a deafening crack resounded throughout the land moments later.

It was massive, and though it almost felt like his eyes were boiling in their sockets, he could not find himself looking away from the sight. Even the glass on his fingers felt like it warmed slightly as the explosion subsided and a gigantic plume cloud grew in its wake. Albert's heart immediately raced again as he ripped his coat off of the hanger and ran to Integra's room, only to find out that the explosion had blinded him completely.

"INTEGRA! I-INTEGRA!" Albert tripped on the stairs as he crawled up. His vision slowly returned, but he could only begin to see along his peripheral and gray outlines. Reaching out to the railing, he hoisted himself up and stepped cautiously until he reached the top.

From there, he made a mad dash to her door and knocked loudly. Hearing no response, he bashed the door in with his own adrenaline-pumped body weight. He heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Integra sitting up in her bed rubbing her eyes with a pistol fixed on his chest.

"My Lady!" he exclaimed, "Did you see the explosion?"

"Yes, Albert, through the draperies. What the hell was that?" she glanced at her window, "It lighted up my room brighter than the light God could bring on the Second Coming."

"I believe it was a nuclear explosion. Where, I do not know," he rubbed his eyes, "It has temporarily blinded me, Sir. We should get you underground in the event of an attack."

"Blinded you?" she asked with great concern.

"Temporarily," he reminded, "I think I was in the periphery of a nuclear explosion. I may also have slight radiation poisoning as well. I shall know in less than a half hour. Retching," he explained when she gave him a confused look, "But nevertheless, Sir, we must get you underground. Whoever this is might be targeting London."

The phone suddenly rang on Integra's desk in her room. She hastily pulled the covers off of her and walked to the phone. Whenever she was not at her desk from the hours of ten and later, the emergency hotline number was redirected to her room.

"Yes? This is Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing speaking," she began, "…Yes…Mhmm, we saw it too…I think…it might be a nuclear explosion, Majesty…Now?...Right away," she clicked the phone and set it down, "His Royal Majesty, the King, wants to see me right away."

"NOW?" Albert despaired, "But they could strike again. Hell, Sir, for all we know this could be World War Three!"

"Albert," she warned, "We have no time. He needs us down there, and now. Are you fit to drive?"

Albert laughed spitefully, "Does it look like I am fit to drive?" he bumped into a lamp shade.

She nodded, "Right…Alucard? Seras?"

A moment later and the elder appeared, "You called, my master?"

"I need you to drive me to Buckingham Palace. _Now_," she ordered, "Where is Seras?"

"Right here," the young fledgling appeared, though slightly out of breath, "I'm here!"

Integra turned to her, "You stay here with Albert. Guard everything, and put a protective shadow all throughout the manor, understood?"

"Completely," Seras nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate.

"I will meet you all downstairs, now let me change," she herded the three out in clapping noises with her hands that was a little more than insulting.

Albert rushed back to his room without having to crawl this time and left Seras and Alucard to meander to the first floor. They both phased through the walls because it was more effective and waited by the door. Both were silent, lost to their own thoughts. Alucard kept one eye on the clock and tapped his foot restlessly. Seras nervously ran a hand through her hair and chuckled.

"A-an attack on London again? To whom do we owe the honor this time?" she asked rhetorically, Alucard's life-blood inside her welling up and itching to take hold.

"It's anybody's guess now. First the Nazis, then technically fifty years later the Nazis again…" he began to grin.

"No, it's not them. It can't be," she shook her head, "We've been monitoring their growth rate, and we all but annihilated them. The Equilibrium?"

Integra appeared and began walking down the staircase. Alucard straightened up and opened his hand for her in a courteous way.

"My master, you dress quickly," he responded to her tight attire.

It was composed of a black formal dress that included wedges and a jacket. A loose necklace of a silver cross adorned her slim neck and swayed gently from side to side. She took his hand and was guided to the parking garage. Seras waved goodbye and decided to walk off and find Albert.

.•*´¨`*•.

The car's battery was slow to warm up as Alucard pressed the button to light the ignition. He grunted in disapproval that he had to try again. The second time, she started, and he released the parking brake and floored it. The tires screeched with new rubber and the machine lurched forward. Integra gasped softly and grabbed a hold of the side of the car as they hurled passed the Hellsing Manor gates.

"Alucard, while I once was able to take your harsh driving, I am an older woman now," she chided and reminded herself to breathe.

He grinned, "My apologies, my master. I always know you like to be in control and on top...of things."

"Thank the Lord I was able to stash some cigars in my pockets," Integra rolled her eyes and already began to light one before her nerves exploded.

She could hear sirens blaring in the distance, no doubt from panicked calls and minor injuries like Albert's. Thankfully, with a vampire at the wheel, Alucard could sense and see meters before the car and could navigate through the growing chaos. There was a surprisingly large amount of cars driving around London now, and Integra couldn't help but begin to grow weary of what was going on. In the midst of anarchy, she always faced it with calm reason. But now that her country could be under attack again, Integra wasn't sure exactly how many more wars she could take. One had nearly taken her life, and how many more would come?

The car slammed to a halt and Integra's body flung forward in her seat. She instantly grunted and her shoulder cracked as the seatbelt felt like it ripped through her skin.

"ALUCARD!" she shouted.

A wave of emergency vehicles rushed passed them, only scrapping the front bumper of the car. Alucard then very calmly turned the wheel to follow the sirens up the Mall and to the gates of Buckingham Palace. He rolled the window down and presented identification at the gate. The guard looked at him suspiciously.

"We are here on important business. I am Sir Integra Hellsing," Integra rolled down her window. The guard eyed her just as suspiciously and then back at the growing mob of people running down the Mall.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But I haven't gotten word about any Hellsing missus getting into the palace," he shook his head.

Integra reached out of the car and grabbed his collar, "Now you listen to me, son. I was the arrow in the bull's-eye in The Great War of London. I was at the forefront of the battle thirty years ago. I manned the battlefield by myself, with no reinforcements. I have been a servant to His Majesty since I inherited the Hellsing Organization when I was thirteen after murdering my uncle for trying to assassinate me, the legal heir," she paused and watched his face light up in recognition, "Yes, you may now have heard of me. Five minutes ago, I received a call from King William regarding the explosion. He said he wanted me in the palace as soon as possible. Now, are you going to move out of my way, lad, or am I going to have to explain to the King after I break through the gates that an incompetent guard wasted precious minutes of his time?"

The guard shrunk in his Kevlar and gulped down, "No ma'am. I mean my Lady. I mean Sir! Right this way," he opened his hand and the gates responded.

Integra sat carefully back down in her seat and scoffed, "The nerve."

She glanced at the driver's seat and noticed that Alucard was already chuckling, "Why don't you scorn me like that? Seeing how you treat the guard, I would much prefer my punishments in that fashion."

"I would sooner stab my eye with a fork than touch you, vile creature. Now shut it, bloody fool, or I'll tie you up and gag you!" she threatened mercilessly.

"_Really_?" he asked in deep fascination, as if his favorite fantasy was now within reaching distance.

"May the Good Lord help preserve my sanity, for it is wavering," Integra let her head slump down in her hands in exasperation.

Alucard parked the car and instantly helped her out of the door.

"Not one paw on me, servant," she batted his hand and made her way up the side stairs to the door.

Servants on either side opened them for her and she walked straight through. Alucard trailed behind.

.•*´¨`*•.

"No, no, I said I want a full report detailing what you see is happening in two minutes…Yes! Yes, you're correct, I said TWO!" the King set the phone down and waved Integra into the room, "Well I don't care if it should take an hour, that's what you're here for…Keep me updated every thirty seconds. Yes, yes, send me what you have so far…Ok…Alright, thank you," he hung up the phone and gestured for her to sit.

"Your Majesty," she curtsied.

"Please, no formalities. William will do," he smiled politely and sat down, "I'm thankful you could arrive on such short notice, but I really do not know who I can trust."

She nodded.

"Ever since your reports on the Equilibrium, and how there was a traitor in the midst of your organization, I started to get flashbacks of what my grandmother had to deal with thirty years ago, and how many traitors were among her staff, representatives, ambassadors, officers. Even some maids," he consciously looked around the room to ensure all of the doors were locked.

"The presence of traitors will perpetuate throughout the whole of time. Now, focusing on the present, what would you have me do, William?" Integra asked.

"I can always count on you to swing me back," he glanced down at his desk, "Well, I'm receiving reports of strange seismic activity from around the Biscay Abyssal Plain. Now, because of this massive explosion, it literally has caused the subducting plate to push upward at a jagged angle. A team of geologists called GS-MLA has seismometers and buoys out recording data in the ocean. They called me three minutes ago with this."

He shoved a packet of paper her way. Integra perused the paper and noticed the high levels of radiation in the water, and a massive hump of water that passed through several buoys just minutes later.

"With these calculations, whatever it was that exploded, it exploded in the ocean and a massive tsunami wave is headed in our direction. The displaced water can attest to that," the King concluded and pressed his hands to his temples. The phone rang unceremoniously once more and he answered.

Integra sat for a moment in silence, then quietly summoned, "Alucard."

The vampire phased through the room and bowed to his superiors, "Yes, my masters?"

King William jerked forward in his seat, though he continued his heated conversation on the other line, back suddenly rigid-straight in shock.

"Go to the shores and see if you notice anything unusual," Integra ordered softly.

"Shall I look for anything specific?" he asked, openly pleased at the King's uneasy response.

"A receding shoreline would be helpful," she answered calmly.

"Right away," he phased into thin air, his grin the last thing to disappear.

King William hung up the phone and continued to look at the air that once occupied Alucard in it. He cleared his throat to focus his attention once more.

"Alucard should get your report faster than waiting for your geologists to report back to you," Integra stated bluntly, "We cannot afford to use anyone in any branch of the government as a crutch."

King William nodded his recognition, but his eyes were unfocused on a point in the distance, "That...that was the President of The United States. They have reports of witnesses seeing the blast. He was checking to see if we were hit from the alleged nuke," his eyes found hers, "But that...is not _possible_. If a nation from across the Atlantic saw the blast, it can't have been a nuke."

Her eyes clouded for a moment, before reaching for her pocket, "It must be something much larger, then. I know someone who might know," she began to punch out Albert's line on her cell.

A woman shoved open the door with more papers and made her way across the room with haste. She had graying hair around her ears, but most of the crop was still a chocolate brown. An air of confidence circled her, and her keen green and blue eyes met Integra's instantly.

The Hellsing director stood up to curtsy, "My Queen."

"Please," she waved a hand, banishing pleasantries with her warm smile, "Kate will do," she moved to the King, "Will, here are more reports coming in about a tsunami warning. We have dispatched every emergency unit possible with megaphones in the streets shouting at people to grab their belongings and head to high ground."

He looked hopefully into her eyes as he took the report, "Will it work? Do you think it will work? London is not a city that ever had to worry about tsunamis; its infrastructure wasn't built for such a flood of this magnitude. I…there's nothing I can do…"

The Queen rubbed his shoulders encouragingly, "You've done all you can do, Will. I hate to press the matter," she sidetracked, noticing a guard motioning for the both of them, "But I think we are being evacuated to a different, safer location. A helicopter is waiting for us, love. We must leave."

.•*´¨`*•.

Alucard scuffed his boots against the chalk of the ground. The sun just beginning to peek from morning clouds, it started to illuminate the cliffs of Dover in an angelic bright white. Yet it was easy to overlook the beautiful spectacle and notice that, though the morning was unfolding, life was not present to receive it. No birds chirped, no gofers or moles began their underground workings, no rabbits scurried about. There wasn't even a wind to sway the branches of trees, or shrubs in this case.

Previously, as he flew across south England in particles, he watched every police dispatch and constabulary force round up the people of different corners and warn them of what was to come. How little they knew of the situation -only that it was a tsunami of great magnitude. But what had caused it? An earthquake, perhaps, but the explosion and consequent blast raised too many eyebrows to be a simple coincidence. Better to rephrase the question: Who had caused it? The Equilibrium rang in his ears like a battle hymn, but something was amiss; something did not feel quite right.

The elder kicked a clod of chalk down the cliff and watched it break off into smaller and smaller pieces. It was remarkable how one natural -or otherwise- disaster could crumble an entire nation, could bring it to its knees, could drown it in a suffocating flood it was not built to withstand. Society survived on the continuation of certain functions: the transportation system, access to electricity, gas, water pipes, et cetera. Each of them dependent on thousands of inner workings to run efficiently, if one so much as glitched it would incapacitate the infected area until rectified, and in some cases cause a near collapse of society.

What frailty.

What weakness.

If any cosmic idea were to make Alucard feel pity for humans and their perpetual state of delicacy, it was this.

Alucard left his musings to the back-burner and shifted his attention to the receding shoreline below.

Concentrating, he expanded his sight far across the shimmering water, deep into the distance, further than any human eye could possibly hope to see. He then squinted, adding extra length to his vision. A smile inched its way up his lips, noting a lumbering wall of water headed their way with alarming speed.

.•*´¨`*•.

Oh boy. My brain is creaking, its hinges and bolts quite rusty from this story. Where's the WD-40? Strangely enough, this document has been sitting idle since August, but now that I'm taking a mini break from my medieval story, it's time to pick this one up a bit!

I know, I'm horrible at transitioning from a lovey-dovey scene to the present, but who isn't? It's so awk.

Seras, wow, talk about the embodiment of emotion to Alucard's indifference. He CRAVES, woman! And he was craving YOU! Why you pull away?!


End file.
